The Aztecs, an indigenous population in the Valley of Mexico, practiced human sacrifice as a means to appease their gods and ensure favorable conditions for agriculture and daily life. This ritual was pivotal to their society, as it was believed that sacrifices would prevent disasters and allow for successful farming, fishing, and engineering. The practice of sacrificing prisoners instead of their own people helped maintain their population while fulfilling their religious obligations.

1. Aztec Human Sacrifice Essay
The Aztecs were indigenous people who lived in the valley of Mexico in the 15th and early 16th
centuries (Mini–Q, pg 1). They had over 20 million people in their population. The Aztec people
lived near a water source, so they were excellent fisherman, agriculturalists, and engineers. The
Aztecs also practiced human sacrificing, something that is uncommon in our current society.
Historians and teachers should emphasize on human sacrifice over agriculture because although it
was gruesome, human sacrifice was what controlled the lifestyle of the Aztecs.
Human sacrifice was practiced by the Aztecs to ask for favors from the Gods. They would offer
prisoners, crops, animals, and most importantly, their ruler's blood, to request for more rain, cure
for diseases, and more crops from the Gods. For example, the sun god named Huitzilopochtli was
worshiped to bring longer days and warmth to their colonization. This was important because it
would allow the Aztecs to be able to fish, farm, and build for longer periods of the day, and it would
help their crops grow. They believed that without human sacrificing rituals, Huitzilopochtli would
grant the Aztecs unfavorable conditions and their city would collapse(Aztec Mini–Q Background
Essay, pg 8). Human sacrificing is important because it controls every aspect of the...show more
content...
The Aztecs collected the blood from their enemies and their animals and would sacrifice it to the
Gods. This was important to them because they needed to signify their importance and commitment
to their God (Friar Diego Duran, The History of the Indies of New Spain 1581). Sacrificing their
enemies rather than their own men was wise because their population numbers would stay up, and
they would be ready to fight in the next battle. This shows how the sacrifices were connected to all
parts of the Aztec's society and has a bigger impact than agriculture does for their
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