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‘Cosmovision and human sacrifice’ investigates the facts behind Aztec human sacrifices. Human sacrifice undoubtedly happened, but the extent to which it did was hotly disputed. Eyewitness accounts are at odds with what archaeology has uncovered. Sacrifice was carried out as part of a wider ritual context, linked to the Aztec worldview, or cosmovision. They believed that the world came into being through the sacrifice of the gods, who could only be sustained by the sacrifice of human blood. Sacrifice was often carried out at the Great Aztec Temple, where the Moon Goddess was discovered in 1978. Further insights can be gleaned through the study of various divine songs and festivals. ...Less

‘Aztec foundations: Aztlan, cities, peoples’ explores Aztec foundation myths. A number of different groups migrated to the Aztec basin. Their stories were akin to an epic odyssey: a hazardous pilgrimage from an ancient homeland to dominance of a sacred land. The Azteca people changed their name to the Mexica as they left Aztlan, and their journey to the site of Tenochtitlan was fraught with danger. They built Tenochtitlan to cement their cultural and political legitimacy. Tenochtitlan was not the first city to be built on that site, which led to many debates about the origins of the Mesoamerican people. ...Less