# Aztec human sacrifice **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960 "2013-06-14T02:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/81 "2013-06-20T18:34:47Z")
> [@SchwaD\_Vivre](#): > > I was a Spanish major in college and I remember reading a book called Aztec by Gary Jennings which was very informative and gripping. I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the Aztecs… Seconded. Jennings’s _Aztec_ is one of my favorite historical novels - big, well-researched and thoroughly readable. Jennings makes that argument that, as violent as Aztec culture was, in many ways it was no worse than the Spanish culture of the day (the conquistadors were even more systematically brutal in waging war than the Aztecs, and the Inquisition was no picnic, either), and in some ways quite a bit more advanced (Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, was bigger, cleaner and healthier than any European city at the time, Aztec herbal medicine was quite good, and Aztec arts and literature were highly advanced). Depending on the kind of festival and the source of sacrificial victims, they were either willing or unwilling, but the priests were highly experienced with their obsidian knives and could have hearts out _very_ quickly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/82 "2013-06-20T19:32:46Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Which sort of ignores that Chessman was signaling for _several minutes_… so cyanide causes sudden unconsciousness/death except when it doesn’t, at which point there is evidence it’s extremely painful. > > . Meh. The “signaling” was “blink and nod his head “ both of which can occur when the victim is unconscious. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/83 "2013-06-21T11:58:42Z")
Or he could have been fully conscious - I prefer to err on the side of caution here and assume until proven otherwise that execution is painful. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/84 "2013-06-21T12:41:41Z")
I don’t understand what made them think the gods wanted them to sacrifice thousands of people? Was there a Aztec bible? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/85 "2013-06-21T13:45:48Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > I don’t understand what made them think the gods wanted them to sacrifice thousands of people? Maybe they drove in Washington DC traffic. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/86 "2013-06-21T14:37:00Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > I don’t understand what made them think the gods wanted them to sacrifice thousands of people? Was there a Aztec bible? Don’t assume the primary purpose was really religious, although its hard to completely separate it from everyday life and culture. Human sacrifice has a long history in that part of the world, and the Aztecs in particular used it to dominate the neighboring tribes. And in a way they were clearly correct: their world _would_ end if they couldn’t offer up the sacrifices… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/87 "2013-06-21T14:37:20Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > I don’t understand what made them think the gods wanted them to sacrifice thousands of people? Was there a Aztec bible? Are you really not learning anything from this thread? There was a long previous tradition of human sacrifice in Mesoamerica, and human sacrifice has been practiced in many places throughout the world. Read some of the links that have been provided. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/88 "2013-06-21T14:39:11Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > I don’t understand what made them think the gods wanted them to sacrifice thousands of people? It wasn’t a uniquely aztec thing - it was culturally pervasive in Meso-america > [@](#): > > Was there a Aztec bible? Not exactly. Most of the traditions were no doubt oral. They had [codices](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Borgia), though. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/89 "2013-06-21T18:19:37Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > It wasn’t a uniquely aztec thing - it was culturally pervasive in Meso-america > Not exactly. Most of the traditions were no doubt oral. They had [codices](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Borgia), though. So when they locked people in rooms and starved them to death, what was the motivation for that? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/90 "2013-06-21T20:49:06Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > So when they locked people in rooms and starved them to death, what was the motivation for that? To make the magic work and keep the universe going. It wasn’t just one god that had sacrificed itself. So it wasn’t just one god’s sacrifice that had to be rejuvenated (or celebrated in gratitude). Different gods were associated with different things and with different times of year or even specific calendar days. Therefore different types of sacrifice were required. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/91 "2013-06-22T04:06:23Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Are you really not learning anything from this thread? There was a long previous tradition of human sacrifice in Mesoamerica, and human sacrifice has been practiced in many places throughout the world. Read some of the links that have been provided. What about ritual suicide, like [_seppuku_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku)? It was a pretty detailed ritual, and extremely painful. Or the Hindu [_suttee_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suttee)? Hell, speaking of the Japanese, you want barbaric, try the Rape of Nanking. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/92 "2013-06-22T04:09:27Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Hell, speaking of the Japanese, you want barbaric, try the Rape of Nanking. Was that a religious ritual?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/93 "2013-06-22T04:14:41Z")
No, simply another example of how the Aztecs weren’t the only society capable of extreme brutality. _Suttee_ and _seppuku_ could be said to be religious – at least the former. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/94 "2013-06-22T10:18:29Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > To make the magic work and keep the universe going. It wasn’t just one god that had sacrificed itself. So it wasn’t just one god’s sacrifice that had to be rejuvenated (or celebrated in gratitude). Different gods were associated with different things and with different times of year or even specific calendar days. Therefore different types of sacrifice were required. So somewhere was there a Aztec holy book that said “you must lock up people, starve them to death, or the sun wont rise tomorrow” ? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/95 "2013-06-22T10:31:56Z")
Actually, MOST religions that have ever existed have not had a Bible equivalent or a Big Book of Instructions. The Aztec books we know about contain records of sacrifices, how sacrifices were performed, myths, legends, and historical events but a “Bible” for the old Aztec religion never existed in the sense you mean it. Actually, the Christian Bible doesn’t prescribe how to conduct things like a Catholic Mass, either - that all came later and is as much tradition as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/96 "2013-06-22T20:43:46Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > So somewhere was there a Aztec holy book that said “you must lock up people, starve them to death, or the sun wont rise tomorrow” ? What? No, of course not. That’s be crazy!:dubious: You need _fresh ripped beating hearts_ to make the sun rise tomorrow. You _starve people to death_ so the Lords of Mictlan will keep up the transmigration of warrior souls into hummingbirds. I can see how you might confuse the two… ---
**Author:** ![eightysix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@eightysix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eightysix)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/97 "2013-06-23T07:49:57Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > The problem is Ballistic gel is much softer than real human flesh and it dosen’t take into account things like ligaments, ribcage cartilage or the the ribcage itself. In real life it would take more like 45 seconds at least, maybe more. Those Discovery channel “reenactments” are more made for tv than made for realism. What is your basis for saying “45 seconds at least”? Do you have any relevant experience to back that up? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/98 "2013-06-23T08:17:27Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > The problem is Ballistic gel is much softer than real human flesh and it dosen’t take into account things like ligaments, ribcage cartilage or the the ribcage itself. In real life it would take more like 45 seconds at least, maybe more. Those Discovery channel “reenactments” are more made for tv than made for realism. I’m having a problem even with the 45 second figure. I remember all the animals I dissected in biology classes, and biological tissue is downright tough, fibrous material. I’m having a lot of trouble believing that an organ could simply be snatched out of a body in anything like 45 seconds using just your hands to reach in and do the job. Try it with a raw piece of chicken or pork sometime. You can’t just tear it in half like a sheet of paper. In fact, given how bloody and slippery the whole ordeal would be, I’m having trouble accepting that it could be done at all. The whole things smacks of psychic surgery (minus the feeling-better-at-the-end part, of course). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/99 "2013-06-23T15:34:06Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > I’m having a problem even with the 45 second figure. I remember all the animals I dissected in biology classes, and biological tissue is downright tough, fibrous material. I’m having a lot of trouble believing that an organ could simply be snatched out of a body in anything like 45 seconds using just your hands to reach in and do the job. Your hands _and an obsidian knife_. Which, I assure you, is[way, way sharper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian#Current_use) than any scalpel you used in biology class. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960/100 "2013-06-23T22:50:38Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Your hands _and an obsidian knife_. Which, I assure you, is[way, way sharper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian#Current_use) than any scalpel you used in biology class. It would get dull very quick performing thousands of disembowelment’s a day and I don’t think it would be easy to resharpen as its a uneven, jagged surface. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aztec-human-sacrifice/660960.md?page=6)