Education and Religion
In the Aztec Empire, education and religion were connected in many ways. Children are taught that they receive three different types of education growing up, from parents, teachers, and priests, and are advised to value each of these three teachers. Children are also taught that their real parents are the gods, and that education is the key to them becoming successful and responsible adults.
A popular analogy in the Aztec world was that of the ‘fruitful tree’. Aztec children were guided to become ‘fruitful trees’—that is, to be successful and leave an impact on the world—rather than fruitless trees, which would not contribute at all to their society. Children are often reminded to become ‘fruitful trees’, and it was believed that the path to this was through education. Education was crucial in order for a person to be accepted by society.
The picture above shows Aztec parents taking
their children to be educated.
When their children are just twenty days old, parents take their children to a temple or school, according to what kind of education they wanted them to receive. As part of their initiation to the education system, the young boys’ lips are cut open and a jewel is inserted, and the young girls have incisions made on their chest and hips. These scars represent the spiritual change that education brings to people, and serve as a reminder of the lifelong pact the family now has with the temple and the gods. Rites of passage are prominent throughout the Aztec education system as well as their religion because they connect the old with the new; these are traditions that each generation must undergo. They also aligned the events that were occurring with the cosmos, and made specific events of the life cycle into social events and celebrations.
The Aztecs had three main gods. Huitzilopochtili was the hummingbird wizard, ezcatlipoca the smoking mirror, and Quetzalcoatl the sovereign plumed serpent. There was said to be four sub-gods below these three main ones, and an infinite number of gods below them.
A popular analogy in the Aztec world was that of the ‘fruitful tree’. Aztec children were guided to become ‘fruitful trees’—that is, to be successful and leave an impact on the world—rather than fruitless trees, which would not contribute at all to their society. Children are often reminded to become ‘fruitful trees’, and it was believed that the path to this was through education. Education was crucial in order for a person to be accepted by society.
The picture above shows Aztec parents taking
their children to be educated.
When their children are just twenty days old, parents take their children to a temple or school, according to what kind of education they wanted them to receive. As part of their initiation to the education system, the young boys’ lips are cut open and a jewel is inserted, and the young girls have incisions made on their chest and hips. These scars represent the spiritual change that education brings to people, and serve as a reminder of the lifelong pact the family now has with the temple and the gods. Rites of passage are prominent throughout the Aztec education system as well as their religion because they connect the old with the new; these are traditions that each generation must undergo. They also aligned the events that were occurring with the cosmos, and made specific events of the life cycle into social events and celebrations.
The Aztecs had three main gods. Huitzilopochtili was the hummingbird wizard, ezcatlipoca the smoking mirror, and Quetzalcoatl the sovereign plumed serpent. There was said to be four sub-gods below these three main ones, and an infinite number of gods below them.
Rituals and sacrifices were prominent in Aztec religion (and therefore education) because they believed that it was necessary for the gods to be fed human beings, including their blood, which was said to be the most important part. This Aztec religious belief explains the prevalence of human
sacrifice and bloodletting in their culture. There was also a ritual of sacrificing human hearts to the gods. The best blood and hearts came from the best people, so nobles were expected to give the most blood and the bravest captives were killed to sacrifice their hearts to the gods.
Sacrifices like these were important in the Aztec religion because they believed that
these were necessary in order for them to have the balance and peace that they so sought after. Aztec religion states that both human sacrifices and warriors killed in battle became stars in the sky after they passed, because they passed in such an honorable way.
This image depicts the god Huitzilopochtili.
sacrifice and bloodletting in their culture. There was also a ritual of sacrificing human hearts to the gods. The best blood and hearts came from the best people, so nobles were expected to give the most blood and the bravest captives were killed to sacrifice their hearts to the gods.
Sacrifices like these were important in the Aztec religion because they believed that
these were necessary in order for them to have the balance and peace that they so sought after. Aztec religion states that both human sacrifices and warriors killed in battle became stars in the sky after they passed, because they passed in such an honorable way.
This image depicts the god Huitzilopochtili.
Sources:
Aztec-Indians. "Aztec Religion." The Aztecs. Last modified 2010. Accessed April 20, 2014. http://www.aztec-indians.com/.
Carrasco, David, and Scott Sessions. The Daily Life of the Aztecs. Daily Life Through History. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press, 2011. Accessed April 17, 2014. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2535400005&v=2.1&u=redm10284&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=f5a76a94a5e324f77920289683c2d093.
Image Bibliography:
Aztec Education. Illustration. Aztec Education Pictures. Accessed April 25, 2014. http://juegosinteractivospme.mx/images/aztec-education-pictures.
Huitzilopochtli. Illustration. Maya and Aztec. 2014. Accessed April 25, 2014. http://www.maya-aztec.com/2010/08/10/aztec-religion/.
Aztec-Indians. "Aztec Religion." The Aztecs. Last modified 2010. Accessed April 20, 2014. http://www.aztec-indians.com/.
Carrasco, David, and Scott Sessions. The Daily Life of the Aztecs. Daily Life Through History. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press, 2011. Accessed April 17, 2014. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2535400005&v=2.1&u=redm10284&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=f5a76a94a5e324f77920289683c2d093.
Image Bibliography:
Aztec Education. Illustration. Aztec Education Pictures. Accessed April 25, 2014. http://juegosinteractivospme.mx/images/aztec-education-pictures.
Huitzilopochtli. Illustration. Maya and Aztec. 2014. Accessed April 25, 2014. http://www.maya-aztec.com/2010/08/10/aztec-religion/.