Tlaloc, the god of rain who was important for agriculture, was depicted with the ears of corn. They gave these stages names and created images of them in stone and in paintings. Therefore, they celebrated different stages in the plant’s life with festivals and offerings. Maize was crucial to the Aztecs’ survival. Maize was sacred to the Aztecs, who also worshiped the God of Maize. For over 5000 years maize has been one of the most important foods for people living in Mexico including the Aztecs. The Aztecs say the god Quetzalcoatl gave maize to humans. The insect’s fluttering of wings (like the flickering of a flame) was linked to fire and the sun. The souls of enemy warriors killed on the battlefield were like butterflies fluttering among flowers. Itzpapalotl (‘Obsidian Butterfly’ or ‘Clawed Butterfly’), a butterfly goddess surrounded by stone knives (so-called 'itzli'), was a symbol of the souls of women who had died in childbirth. As the lifecycle of the butterfly (egg, larva, pupa, and imago (adult) can be clearly observed, the Aztecs, therefore, gave this insect symbolic meaning of transformation. The Aztecs believed that the last breath of a dying person took the form of a butterfly. In ancient Mexico, the butterfly (in Aztec papalotl, suggestive of the Latin papilio) was one of the attributes of Xochipilli, the god of vegetation, but also symbolized flickering firelight and was associated with the Sun. The south is a monkey and represents a part of the previous suns (ages) according to the myth of creation. In the Aztec Sun Stone carved in 1478, the north is a warrior’s headdress symbolizing the military power of the Aztecs (Mexica) and their developing empire. The ape was a god of dance, celebration and those born under this sign were expected to become jugglers, dancers, pranksters, or singers.Īn ancient myth of periodic "ends of the world" (or “the second era or "sun,") says that everything ended by devastating tornadoes, and the humans of this era were transformed into apes. The ape is a calendar symbol in ancient Mexican cultures also, lending its name (in Aztec Ozomatii, in Mayan Ba'tz) to the 11th day of the month. The 'atlatl' in a hand of the Aztec warrior disguised as Death, was used in a sacrifice of a captive tied to a scaffold. Important Aztec gods were depicted holding 'atlatl', decorated with snake (or serpent) designs or feathers (symbolizing a bird of prey). In the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, the spear-thrower was called ‘ atlatl’ and was a symbol of warfare and magical power. Generally, in the Aztec world, fine weapons were symbols of power and religious war. Atlatl (Spear Thrower) - Symbol Of Warfare And Magical Power Blood linked people with the gods already at birth. This belief explains the Aztec deep-rooted tradition of very frequent sacrifices of prisoners, whom the Aztecs forced to die. Human blood was the most powerful means to 'help' the sun to recover from its weakness. It was important if cosmic order was to be maintained. During its nighttime wandering through the dark underworld, the sun was so weak that it needed new powers. The Aztecs of ancient Mexico believed that human blood was necessary to strengthen the sun. The Aztecssaw these symbols in daily life and all around them, in nature, on the walls of their temples, in jewelry, in their language, writing, and religion.
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