http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493 By&nbsp;the year 1 Reed the Aztec Nation had reached the apex of empire. The Aztecs had a very large and sophisticated empire and their economic and political systems rivaled many European systems. The capital city, Tenochtitlan, had an elaborate infrastructue complete with paved roads, fresh water, markets, religious doctrines, and a sewer system. The problem, however, was the the year 1 Reed was also the Christian year 1519 and was the year of the arrival of Hernan Cortes. The Spanish had&nbsp;two primary goals. As Cortes once reflected, &quot;we suffer from a disease that only gold can cure,&quot;&nbsp; and, to his pleasure, Tenochtitlan had ample deposits of gold. The second goal was to spread Christianity. The Aztecs practice a religion, the Spanish believed, was evil. These goals were to the detriment of the Aztec Empire; the gold was taken and the people were forced to convert or face death. This disregard and disrespect for culture spread like a disease and eventually led to the near extinction of native culture in the western hemisphere. The following is from http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/latam/aztec.html&nbsp;and explains the doctrines, history, and symbols of the Aztec religion. Aztec Religion Doctrines &nbsp; Aztecs beliefs were based in their perception of nature, its time space, and cycles. They were particularly concerned with the destructive aspect of nature, and most of their rituals are means of avoiding the destructive and chaotic forces of nature, and finding harmony within nature. The need to control nature is evident in their calendar systems. They had two calendars which when combined formed a third one. The first calendar, the &quot;Xihuitl&quot;, or natural year calendar, was used to measure the agricultural year and provided the basis upon which they performed their ritual to their various gods. The second calendar, the &quot;Tonalpohualli&quot;, was a specific religious calendar. The structure of the calendar was based on a combination of number and sign system that determied the fate of everyone depending on the date of their birth. Certain deities were associated with certain days. The Xihuitl and the Tonalpohualli were combined forming a third calendar that was named Xiuhmolpilli (a bundle of years). The Xiuhmopilli or the calendar round had a cycle of fifty two solar years, the time needed for the two previous calendars to have a coincident beginning. Each period of fifty two years was considered an era at the end of which destruction might take place if sacrifices were not performed. The Aztec world was divided into time and space. Concerning time, they believed that the world was divided into five eras, or suns. Each previous era had been governed by one deity and it had ended with the destruction of the elements or phenomena after which it had been named. The Aztec believed themselves to be living in the fifth and last era. This era which they called era of movement would be brought to an end destroyed by earthquakes. after which the world and time would come to an end. The world was conceived as a flat surface divided into five directions (norht, south, east, west and the center where their capital Tenochtitl&aacute;n was located). Departing from Tenochtitl&aacute;n, there was a vertical line with thirteen ascending layers or heavens, and nine layers of underworld all of them ocupied by different deities. The Aztec pantheon was quite large and varied. There were gods related to the creation of the cosmos, to fertility, regeneration, death, war, and the sacrificial nourishment of the sun. The gods had different roles and were also represented in different ways. The two gods to whom the two most important temples in the Aztec world were dedicated were Huitzlopochtli (the supreme deity of the Aztecs associated with sun and fire) and Tatloc, the rain god, that among other things was associated with fertility. The Aztec pantheon was organized hierarchically with gods occupying the various vertical levels mentioned above. The highest layer was occupied by &quot;Ometeotl&quot; that was both male and female, representing therefore the principle of duality. The male aspect of Ometeotl, called our lord of subsistence had yet two aspects named Ometicuhtli and Tonacatecuhtli. The female aspect, called &quot;our lady of subsistence&quot; had also two aspects named Omecihuatl and Tonacacihuatl. This couple generated four children (God Red Tezcatlipoca -Smoking mirror-, God Black Tezcatlipoca, god Quetzalcoatl -plumed serpent-, God Huitzi Lopochthi -humming bird) that created the universe and its laws. Despite their importance, these gods were not worshiped as much as the gods related to the celestial bodies and to fertility. Of particular importance was the sun god without whom there would be no world. According to the one Aztec myth, one god sacrificed himself into a fire so that he could become the sun; however once he had become the sun, he did not reappear until he was nourished with the blood of all the other gods. The myth of the birth of the sun god provids the baisis of the practice of sacrifical death, including human sacrificial death. The religious rites and ceremonies where related to the various aspects and needs of Aztec life. Worship was done through offerings, prayers, performing symbolic acts, games, sacrifices. Daily rituals were associated with food, and thanksgiving. The ceremonies were performed in the temples that could be round or pyramidal. Attached to the temples there were courts for the ball game (tlachtli), sacrificial stones (techcatl) and other special areas for the different kinds of rituals and ceremonies. Though the rituals differed from place to place they followed a basic structure that consisted of preparation- fasting, purification and offerings- after which came blood sacrifice that was an act of major importance for the Aztec. For them there could be no new life without death. &nbsp; History &nbsp; The Aztec empire and therefore their religion as such arose around the fourteenth and fifteenth century. With the disintegration of the Toltec civilization, after the fall of Tulla in 1168, the Mexican plateau became a field of battle where the various groups fought for power. Among these groups a Chichimec group who called themselves M&eacute;xica and spoke a language called nahuatl, entered the valley of Mexico, and found their capital (Mexico-Tenochtitl&aacute;n or Tenochtitl&aacute;n) in 1345. Through alliances, trade and war conquered many other groups, and formed what it is called now a days the Aztec empire. Although the m&eacute;xica had their religion prior to the conquest of Tenochitl&aacute;n, in the process of empowering they absorbed the gods, myths and rites of the groups conquered by them. Many of their traditions were inherited from the Toltecs.The Aztec empire lasted until 1519 when they were conquered by the Spaniards. &nbsp; Symbols &nbsp; The deities are generally represented in human forms, even when the face happens to be of an animal, the body tends to keep the structure of a human body. Many times it is possible to find various representations of the same deity. &nbsp; Adherents &nbsp; At the time of the concquest it is estimated that the Aztec population was between twenty and twenty five million people. &nbsp; Headquarters/ Main Centre &nbsp; Tenochtitl&aacute;n By&nbsp;the year 1 Reed the Aztec Nation had reached the apex of empire. The Aztecs had a very large and sophisticated empire and their economic and political systems rivaled many European systems. The capital city, Tenochtitlan, had an elaborate infrastructue complete with paved roads, fresh water, markets, religious doctrines, and a sewer system. The problem, however, was the the year 1 Reed was also the Christian year 1519 and was the year of the arrival of Hernan Cortes. The Spanish had&nbsp;two primary goals. As Cortes once reflected, &quot;we suffer from a disease that only gold can cure,&quot;&nbsp; and, to his pleasure, Tenochtitlan had ample deposits of gold. The second goal was to spread Christianity. The Aztecs practice a religion, the Spanish believed, was evil. These goals were to the detriment of the Aztec Empire; the gold was taken and the people were forced to convert or face death. This disregard and disrespect for culture spread like a disease and eventually led to the near extinction of native culture in the western hemisphere. The following is from http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/latam/aztec.html&nbsp;and explains the doctrines, history, and symbols of the Aztec religion. Aztec Religion Doctrines &nbsp; Aztecs beliefs were based in their perception of nature, its time space, and cycles. They were particularly concerned with the destructive aspect of nature, and most of their rituals are means of avoiding the destructive and chaotic forces of nature, and finding harmony within nature. The need to control nature is evident in their calendar systems. They had two calendars which when combined formed a third one. The first calendar, the &quot;Xihuitl&quot;, or natural year calendar, was used to measure the agricultural year and provided the basis upon which they performed their ritual to their various gods. The second calendar, the &quot;Tonalpohualli&quot;, was a specific religious calendar. The structure of the calendar was based on a combination of number and sign system that determied the fate of everyone depending on the date of their birth. Certain deities were associated with certain days. The Xihuitl and the Tonalpohualli were combined forming a third calendar that was named Xiuhmolpilli (a bundle of years). The Xiuhmopilli or the calendar round had a cycle of fifty two solar years, the time needed for the two previous calendars to have a coincident beginning. Each period of fifty two years was considered an era at the end of which destruction might take place if sacrifices were not performed. The Aztec world was divided into time and space. Concerning time, they believed that the world was divided into five eras, or suns. Each previous era had been governed by one deity and it had ended with the destruction of the elements or phenomena after which it had been named. The Aztec believed themselves to be living in the fifth and last era. This era which they called era of movement would be brought to an end destroyed by earthquakes. after which the world and time would come to an end. The world was conceived as a flat surface divided into five directions (norht, south, east, west and the center where their capital Tenochtitl&aacute;n was located). Departing from Tenochtitl&aacute;n, there was a vertical line with thirteen ascending layers or heavens, and nine layers of underworld all of them ocupied by different deities. The Aztec pantheon was quite large and varied. There were gods related to the creation of the cosmos, to fertility, regeneration, death, war, and the sacrificial nourishment of the sun. The gods had different roles and were also represented in different ways. The two gods to whom the two most important temples in the Aztec world were dedicated were Huitzlopochtli (the supreme deity of the Aztecs associated with sun and fire) and Tatloc, the rain god, that among other things was associated with fertility. The Aztec pantheon was organized hierarchically with gods occupying the various vertical levels mentioned above. The highest layer was occupied by &quot;Ometeotl&quot; that was both male and female, representing therefore the principle of duality. The male aspect of Ometeotl, called our lord of subsistence had yet two aspects named Ometicuhtli and Tonacatecuhtli. The female aspect, called &quot;our lady of subsistence&quot; had also two aspects named Omecihuatl and Tonacacihuatl. This couple generated four children (God Red Tezcatlipoca -Smoking mirror-, God Black Tezcatlipoca, god Quetzalcoatl -plumed serpent-, God Huitzi Lopochthi -humming bird) that created the universe and its laws. Despite their importance, these gods were not worshiped as much as the gods related to the celestial bodies and to fertility. Of particular importance was the sun god without whom there would be no world. According to the one Aztec myth, one god sacrificed himself into a fire so that he could become the sun; however once he had become the sun, he did not reappear until he was nourished with the blood of all the other gods. The myth of the birth of the sun god provids the baisis of the practice of sacrifical death, including human sacrificial death. The religious rites and ceremonies where related to the various aspects and needs of Aztec life. Worship was done through offerings, prayers, performing symbolic acts, games, sacrifices. Daily rituals were associated with food, and thanksgiving. The ceremonies were performed in the temples that could be round or pyramidal. Attached to the temples there were courts for the ball game (tlachtli), sacrificial stones (techcatl) and other special areas for the different kinds of rituals and ceremonies. Though the rituals differed from place to place they followed a basic structure that consisted of preparation- fasting, purification and offerings- after which came blood sacrifice that was an act of major importance for the Aztec. For them there could be no new life without death. &nbsp; History &nbsp; The Aztec empire and therefore their religion as such arose around the fourteenth and fifteenth century. With the disintegration of the Toltec civilization, after the fall of Tulla in 1168, the Mexican plateau became a field of battle where the various groups fought for power. Among these groups a Chichimec group who called themselves M&eacute;xica and spoke a language called nahuatl, entered the valley of Mexico, and found their capital (Mexico-Tenochtitl&aacute;n or Tenochtitl&aacute;n) in 1345. Through alliances, trade and war conquered many other groups, and formed what it is called now a days the Aztec empire. Although the m&eacute;xica had their religion prior to the conquest of Tenochitl&aacute;n, in the process of empowering they absorbed the gods, myths and rites of the groups conquered by them. Many of their traditions were inherited from the Toltecs.The Aztec empire lasted until 1519 when they were conquered by the Spaniards. &nbsp; Symbols &nbsp; The deities are generally represented in human forms, even when the face happens to be of an animal, the body tends to keep the structure of a human body. Many times it is possible to find various representations of the same deity. &nbsp; Adherents &nbsp; At the time of the concquest it is estimated that the Aztec population was between twenty and twenty five million people. &nbsp; Headquarters/ Main Centre &nbsp; Tenochtitl&aacute;n en-us Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:41:07 PDT <font face="Comic Sans MS" size="1">Another familar pathos.the death~birth cycle played out,the religion of agricultural peoples~thanks again for a look at another way.</font> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82112 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82112 <font face="Comic Sans MS" size="1">Another familar pathos.the death~birth cycle played out,the religion of agricultural peoples~thanks again for a look at another way.</font> Thank you. http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82119 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82119 Thank you. So human sacriface is a good thing? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82340 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82340 So human sacriface is a good thing? Good thing? Eh. But it sure did keep things interesting, and <em>that</em> counts for something. http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82347 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82347 Good thing? Eh. But it sure did keep things interesting, and <em>that</em> counts for something. No, buffoo just as killing Jews in Russia in the name of Orthodoxy is not a good thing. I'm not sure you get the point here. http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82396 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82396 No, buffoo just as killing Jews in Russia in the name of Orthodoxy is not a good thing. I'm not sure you get the point here. <p>There was a Russian Orthodox Priest in Paris during WWII who openly helped the Jew's to escape.&nbsp; When the Nazis arrested him, they asked&quot;Why do you hep, the Jews?&quot;&nbsp; The Priest fingered his crucifix and reply-ed,&quot; Do you know this Jew?&quot;&nbsp; Similarly, In Greece during Nazi occupation many Jewish women and children found refuge on Mt.&nbsp;Athos.&nbsp; MT. Athos is a monastic republic which woman have been forbidden for centuries, but the Holy Fathers made exception to save their lives.&nbsp; The comment on human sacrifice was actually a comment on ethnocentrism.&nbsp; Which is an anthropology term for judging other cultures by our own values.&nbsp;On one hand you talk of tolerance and acceptance, but could you be tolerant of a aggressive empire, that started wars to get captives to sacrifice ,because a mistaken belief that the sun would not rise if you didn't.&nbsp; Rather reminds me of a anthropology professor I had.&nbsp; She would lecture on the evils of ethnocentrism and in the same breath attack those cultures like the muslims who enslaved women and didn't agree with her feminist perspective.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82641 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82641 <p>There was a Russian Orthodox Priest in Paris during WWII who openly helped the Jew's to escape.&nbsp; When the Nazis arrested him, they asked&quot;Why do you hep, the Jews?&quot;&nbsp; The Priest fingered his crucifix and reply-ed,&quot; Do you know this Jew?&quot;&nbsp; Similarly, In Greece during Nazi occupation many Jewish women and children found refuge on Mt.&nbsp;Athos.&nbsp; MT. Athos is a monastic republic which woman have been forbidden for centuries, but the Holy Fathers made exception to save their lives.&nbsp; The comment on human sacrifice was actually a comment on ethnocentrism.&nbsp; Which is an anthropology term for judging other cultures by our own values.&nbsp;On one hand you talk of tolerance and acceptance, but could you be tolerant of a aggressive empire, that started wars to get captives to sacrifice ,because a mistaken belief that the sun would not rise if you didn't.&nbsp; Rather reminds me of a anthropology professor I had.&nbsp; She would lecture on the evils of ethnocentrism and in the same breath attack those cultures like the muslims who enslaved women and didn't agree with her feminist perspective.</p> <p>Heh, ethnocentrism, a concept introduced to first year university students. I actually learned the term in Sociology my first year in college. &nbsp;</p> <p>Yes I am well aware of those who helped the Jews. There were Catholics who did so also. My comment was directed at the pogroms of 1881 in Russia. And again, I think you are reading into my comments. I'm against totalitarianism and cultural hegemony&nbsp;of any ilk. And while there is a sense of justice with the attack on <font size="2">Tenochtitlan (the inhabitants of the tributary states would have agreed) in light of their cultural hegemony, two wrongs do not make a right. The Spanish had no right is wiping out their culture. The other point I want to make is that there is good and bad in all cultures.</font></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82675 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Tolerance/8493/#c_82675 <p>Heh, ethnocentrism, a concept introduced to first year university students. I actually learned the term in Sociology my first year in college. &nbsp;</p> <p>Yes I am well aware of those who helped the Jews. There were Catholics who did so also. My comment was directed at the pogroms of 1881 in Russia. And again, I think you are reading into my comments. I'm against totalitarianism and cultural hegemony&nbsp;of any ilk. And while there is a sense of justice with the attack on <font size="2">Tenochtitlan (the inhabitants of the tributary states would have agreed) in light of their cultural hegemony, two wrongs do not make a right. The Spanish had no right is wiping out their culture. The other point I want to make is that there is good and bad in all cultures.</font></p>