7A-+Aztec+Gods+and+Sacred+Animals+(Josh,+Robbie)

=Why did gods and animals have a big influence in Aztec life?=

===Before reading this webpage, we would like to see what your opinion is on the Aztec's gods. There is a small paragraph below that will explain what you shall do. It helps to see how you view the Aztec's religion and their gods.===

There were many Aztec gods who were all very important, but some were more important than others.

There were main gods, and minor gods. Most of the major gods controlled forces, but they are wondering which of them is the most important.

Can you help them make a good decision? Take the survey to below to help the gods! -Source 3

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On the right theris a modern depiction of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. It shows him as a flying feathered serpent. In the backround it shows him in an Aztec area. Quetzalcoatl is shown as a big scary creature. It was probably one reason why they sacrifced and worshipped him so much. -Photo 1

This is a Voki of The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. He will breifly explain who he is, and how he has played a part in the Mesoamerican world. He might even have a sense of humor. media type="custom" key="8561344"

One way the gods greatly affected the Aztecs was through agriculture. Xipe-Totec is the Aztec god of agriculture and was

revered by the Aztecs because he was said to be the one who gave the humans maize (corn.) Therefor, Xipe-Totec is also

the god of maize. The Aztecs worshiped him a lot for that due maize being the Aztecs' staple food supply. When it rained

the Aztecs would praise their god of rain, Tlaloc. But when it didn't rain they woudl think either Xipe-Totec or Tlaloc were mad

at them, or they may have thought that both were mad. If this happened the Aztecs would increase their rate of sacrifice,

and try to please the gods and try to get the gods to forgive them for whatever they had done to anger them. They saw the

gods as the source of everything. If a natural disaster happened, they assumed the gods were angry with them. The gods

had a huge influence on the Aztecs' lives through many things, but agriculture is one of the greatest. -Source 9



There were many important animals in Aztec religion. These included the quetzal, eagle, jaguar, and rattlesnake. The quetzal bird was an important animal because it was valued in religion (Quetzalcoatl) but also in trade for it's feathers. The eagle and jaguar represented light and darkness, day and night. The rattlesnake shed it's skin 3-4 times a year. The eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in it's beak was the sign the gods gave them to show where to settle. On this spot the Aztecs built the great city of Tenochtitlan. This was one of the big examples of when the Aztecs' religion affected their daily life. -Source 1

There were three really important gods to the Aztecs.
-Source 9+2

> There are daily sacrifices to him in order to shine through his eternal battle with the darkness. > Huitzilopochtl is depicted on calendars, as their calendar was based off of the sun just like ours. > was a god adopted into their religion from the Toltecs while they were serving them when they were still nomadic. > Xipe-Totec is the god who gave the Aztecs their staple food supply, maize.
 * 1) First there is Huitzilopochtl the Aztec god of the sun. He is the Aztec's cheif god and protects them in war.
 * 1) Seccond there is Quetzalcoatl the Aztec god of the wind. He is the god who created humans and
 * 1) Third is the Xipe-Totec, the Aztec god of agriculture and maize. Up above there was a section on religious influence on agriculture, where we explain how the Aztecs would view a bad harvest as the anger of Xipe-Totec.

Below there is a prezi explaining the Aztec gods and structure too.
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