The Mayans
10 Facts about the Mayans
- They were more violent than originally thought
- They didn't think the world was going to end in 2012
- They had books!
- They practiced human sacrifice
- They saw their Gods in the sky
- They traded extensively
- They had Kings and Royal Families
- Their Bible still exists
- No one knows what happened to them (how did they collapse)
- There are still Mayans alive today
A student suggested watching Apocalypto, a movie about the Mayan people. Really controversial, but may be something we should consider watching in class to discuss.
The Aztecs
We discussed the history of Aztec Emperor, Montezuma II.
The Incas
We discussed the life of Túpac Amaru II. AWESOME subject! Google him. I'm sure we will discuss him again this semester.
HUMAN SACRIFICES
As a class, we wanted to know how human sacrifices were chosen. According to the movies and to our readings, human sacrifices were an honor, but seriously who would really volunteer. I was pretty sure that many of the human sacrifices came from the captured warriors and slaves, but I wanted to verify. In one article I read, the author did say that "captive warriors, were the most common sacrifice." For the Aztecs, some sacrifices needed to be warriors, while others could be slaves, and they believed that tears of the new-born would ensure rain.
We learned that the Mayans also practiced some form of sacrifice. They had human sacrifices and animal sacrifices. Usually their human sacrifices came from prisoners or slaves. The Mayans also practiced "blood letting" which is self-cutting or piercings.The blood was wiped on a piece of paper and then burned, the smoke served as the passing of gifts or offerings to the Gods. For example, if a genital was pierced, the smoke would pay tribute to the fertility God.
As I read about the Incas I learned that they didn't sacrifice adults, but instead children. It was a great honor to be chosen as a sacrifice to the Incan Sun God. The children chosen had to be strong, healthy, beautiful, and pure. It seems that the children were drugged, whether with coca or with some sort of alcohol before they were killed. Maybe this was a way to lessen the actual pain, if not prevent pain all together, that they child would feel upon death.
Here is what is interesting in all of the articles that I read, the purpose of the sacrifice is a way to honor the Gods. The sacrifice served as a way to ask for rain, give thanks for food, give thanks for the sacrifices that the Gods themselves had made, and
http://www.amoxtli.org/cuezali/spaper.html
http://archaeology.about.com/od/Aztec-Religion/a/Aztec-Sacrifice.htm
http://mathwiz2001.tripod.com/theicemaiden/id9.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130729-inca-mummy-maiden-sacrifice-coca-alcohol-drug-mountain-andes-children/
http://ambergriscaye.com/museum/digit14.html
Well, that's it for now. More later!
Ciao,
MLMoore
