Aztecs Stage 5 Comprehension - Religion PDF

STAGE 5 Unit focus: Aztecs Text focus: Information Text Religion The Aztecs were deeply religious people, but they weren’t restricted to their own gods. Perhaps one o...

STAGE 5 Unit focus: Aztecs Text focus: Information Text Religion The Aztecs were deeply religious people, but they weren’t restricted to their own gods. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the Aztecs was that they seemed to acquire new gods whenever they took over another tribe. The Aztec leader lived in Tenochtitlan, and the other cities were ruled by their own leaders who took orders from the main ruler. This meant that they were free to do largely as they pleased. When a city was conquered, the people living there often continued their own beliefs and cultures, as well as those of the Aztecs. This meant that lots of different ideas were mixed together. Most civilisations that have a pantheon of gods had a hierarchy. This meant that some gods were considered more important than others. The Aztecs were no exception. Huitzilopochtli. Huitzilopochtli was the most important of all the Aztec gods. It was he who gave the first priests the instructions on where to build Tenochtitlan and begin the civilisation. He was thought to be the god of war, the sun and sacrifice. The largest temples in any of the Aztec cities were dedicated to him, and every Aztec spent their life worried about upse ng him. Tlaloc. A god of both benefits and punishments, Tlaloc was the god of rain and water. If he was kept happy, then Tlaloc would reward the Aztecs with enough rain to grow their crops and keep them healthy. On the other hand, they believed that angering him would result in floods or storms that would ruin the land and destroy houses. Tlaloc even had a mountain dedicated to him (Mount Tlaloc), where people would travel to pay their respects and leave offerings to keep him happy. Chicomecoatl. Chicomecoatl was one of the few Aztec goddesses. She was believed to control A farming and food, particularly maise. Maise was such an important part ding ro Rea und all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed e um C u r r ic ul Th http://www.literacyshedplus.com of the Aztec diet that it was separated from all other foods when it came to the gods. Coatl is the Nahuatl word for serpent or snake, and Chicomecoatl was often drawn as a young girl decorated with snakes. Her name means “seven snakes”. Quetzalcoatl. Another god with coatl in his name. Quetzalcoatl was drawn as a serpent with feathers which could fly through the air. His name means “feathered serpent”. He is thought to be one of the possible origins of modern dragons. He was the god of life, so angering him was believed to have serious consequences. One of the ways that the Aztecs, and many other Mesoamerican civilisations, hoped to please their gods was through human sacrifice. They believed that sacrificing a human would feed their gods. Despite many myths, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that they sacrificed their own people. Most of their victims were captured from other tribes. These were often carried out in times of drought or famine to try to rectify things. RETRIEVAL FOCUS 1. Describe the following statements as true or false: 2. The Aztecs worshipped lots of gods. 3. Quetzalcoatl was the most important god. 4. Quetzalcoatl was associated with a snake. 5. The Aztecs sacrificed their own people a lot. 6. The Aztecs left offerings to their gods. VIPERS QUESTIONS V If something is “restricted”, what does it mean? I What do you think the Nahuatl word for “seven” is? Why? S Why might Quetzalcoatl be the origin of dragons? V Find and copy a word in the final paragraph that means “fix”. all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com