From 1300 until 1521, a civilization known as the Aztecs inhabited Central Mexico. History has portrayed the Aztecs as a peculiar civilization, one that was capable of incredible wisdom and architectural marvels, while also worshipping a variety of odd, irate gods and regularly sacrificing one another in ritual sacrifices. Although we acknowledge that human sacrifice was a component of the Aztecs’ society and religion, the extent of it is still up for question today. Many of our assumptions about the Aztecs date back to 1519 and the Spanish conquerors of the time.
The conquest of Tenochtitlan by Hernán Cortés in 1519, which led to the collapse of the Aztec Empire by 1521, is credited with bringing about the fall of the Aztec Empire and our subsequent views on human sacrifice in their civilization. When Cortes arrived in Tenochtitlan, he reported seeing evidence of the practice of human sacrifice, scaring the populace and supporting the invasion. People’s perception of the Aztecs as a terrible civilization that habitually murdered its own people is largely due to the Spanish texts of the period. But how accurate is it? In this video, let’s learn more.
Watch the video below:
