The purpose of Aztec blood rituals

The purpose of Aztec blood rituals part 2
By Jasmyne Pendragon 13/12/2010 14:15:00

This is part two of three articles which provides evidence for the ritual purpose of blood sacrifice using examples of information sourced from various Mexican Codices and other documents. It includes some Aztec creation myths and religious doctrine to hypothesise the true meaning and belief behind the Aztec people's constant need for ritualistic blood sacrifices.

According to Bernardino de Sahagún (cited from Townsend 2003: 128); the Aztecs believed there were many suns that had existed before the present sun which was the fifth one (Tompkins 1990: 130). Each of the previous suns had died, thus destroyed and ended the world. The creation of the fifth sun is described in the world myth. When the end of the fourth world had passed, all that existed was in darkness.

There was no sun or dawn, therefore the gods gathered together at Teotihuacan and decided who would sacrifice themself to the fire and through this ritual become the fifth sun and bring down the light of dawn (Townsend 2003: 128; Tompkins 1990: 130). Two of the Aztec gods came forward to sacrifice themselves into the fire and ensure the creation and birth of the fifth sun (Waters 1975: 98-271; Townsend 2003: 128).

The first was Tecuciztecatl (Townsend 2003: 128) who laid out before him a sacrificial kit containing fir branches made of quetzal feathers, luxury incense, gold grass balls, greenstone maguey spines and bloodied red coral spines in preparation for the ritual sacrifice. The second god to come fourth to the sacrificial fire was Nanauatzin (Townsend 2003: 128; Berdan 1982: 111).

However, in contrast to Tecuciztecatl, Nanauatzin was impoverished, scabby and diseased; therefore, he could only afford green rushes, actual maguey spines with his own blood, pine needles and the scabs off his sores for his incense (Townsend 2003: 128; Berdan 1982: 111). After four nights of pennants the two gods cloaked in ceremonial regalia and stood before the fire, though when the time came to make the sacrifice Tecuciztecatl hesitated in fear of the fiery blaze before him. However Nanauatzin did not hesitate and leapt in to the fire with courage (Séjourné 1976: 156-160; Townsend 2003: 129).