Aztec Sacrificial Knife

Day 3:

Ah, after many hours of sweating and backbreaking work, we have finally uncovered an Aztec sacrificial knife!  Most knives were made of a flint blade and wooden handle, and this one is only a representation, as the original is being closely examined by our team of archaeologists.

This is probably the ritual/tradition that caused a conflict in the world views of the Aztec and Spanish.  The Aztec believed that the world was created through sacrifice.  It was their role to maintain the balance of the universe through this ritual.  According to Aztec origin stories, their world was created when a god sacrificed himself to change into the sun and maintain human life.  Unfortunately, he wasn't able to move across the sky, and other gods had to sacrifice themselves to assist him.  The Aztec view on life was that humans' actions could influence the stability of the universe and that it was through their rituals that the universe would continue to exist.

Offereings often consisted of different foods, paper, feathers, grasses, textiles, and the blood of animals, but human blood was by far the most important element.  Apparently, Aztec gods prized human blood above all the rest.  Without human sacrifices, the Earth would dry up and the sun, moon, stars, and planets would not be able to travel across the sky.  They believed that the world would be destroyed.

Human sacrifices were performed on altars at the top of their temples.  These were public events with many spectators.  The most important ceremonies were the ones at the central temple of Tenochtitlan, the heart of their city.  Aztec priests believed that the best nourishments for the gods were the still beating hearts of sacrified warriors.