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Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice was conducted on a sacrificial
stone, a flint knife and a recipient to deposit heart offerings, called
cuauhxicalli. This practice was invested with great importance because
it was a way to insure that life follow death, mirroring nature, in which
throughout the year there was a dry season in which plants died, and a
season of life in which the rain brought the fruits of the earth to life,
as part of a constant cycle. By way of human sacrifice, the most precious
thing in life was offered, namely blood and life itself, so that by way
of death arose life anew. This image comes from the Codex
Durán.
Last Modified: January 14, 1998.
Museo del Templo Mayor, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e História,
México.
Seminario #8, Centro Histórico. Cuauhtémoc,
México, D.F. 06060
©Copyright
1997
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