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The Aztec civilization was unbelievably brutal

posted 12 years ago by SusanJL
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I've read the "Aztec" civilization sacrificed thousands upon thousands of people, mostly by ripping the hearts out of live people each year. These sacrifices were done on a daily basis.
They would sacrifice babies & very young children to their rain god, making the children cry as much as possible as they were led to mountaintops for execution because they believed that would bring more rain.
I have no sympathy for this "civilization". Being ended by the Spanish was merciful. They led neurotic, miserable lives - each day was filled with complicated rituals designed to placate their hundreds of "gods".
Yes, Cortez and many of the Spanish conquerors were brutes. And Spain had the Inquisition, which burned an estimated 10,000-20,000 people at the stake. But on their worst day they were boy scouts compared to the mesoamericans. For a hundred years the Aztecs inflicted their daily demonic human sacrifice on innocents - makes my skin crawl just to think about it.
I have to shake my head at the part in the movie where Coatl says his and Ty's God may be the same - They are the OPPOSITE!

[–] travelintom 12 years ago

Well, yes, you are right about human sacrifice by all of the Mesoamerican cultures and the tradition dates for nearly two thousand years, not just hundreds.

The conquest of Mexico was horrific beyond brutal, hundreds of thousands died and roughly 40,000 on 8/12/1521 alone. Cortes burned more than a thousand at the stake after the Pánuco revolt in 1523. It wasn't just the Spanish, the Protestants later burned heretics too and burned witches even in New England into the 17th Century.

Far more deaths and atrocities have been and continue to be committed in the name of the Christian God than to those gods of Mexico.

Misguided, of course, but they thought they were appeasing their gods. Remember that Abraham was prepared to sacrifice Isaac on orders from his God.

[–] SusanJL 11 years ago

God never intended for it to actually happen to Isaac, it was a test of faith. But God the Father sent His own Son to die for our sins, so that we might have a way to be forgiven all our sins and live forever with God.

[–] cwdotson-668-140918 11 years ago

Nothing like the noble Christian Spainiards, who tortured who knows how many, including women and children, to sacrifice for their god.cwd

[–] SusanJL 11 years ago

Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one.

Matthew 7:21-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in. On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, “We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles.” But I will tell them, “I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!”

[–] cwdotson-668-140918 11 years ago

For what happened in Spain, the process required both a whole lot of fake Christians to institutionalize the atrocities AND a whole lot more who did not care to let it happen.

[–] SusanJL 11 years ago

You are correct. There were vast multitudes of false Christians. As there are now.

[–] cwdotson-668-140918 11 years ago

I agree with that assertion. Here, there, then, whatever...people suck.cwd

[–] SusanJL 11 years ago

Yes, the Bible states "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God". That's what is so remarkable about Jesus - He (sinless Son of God) was willing to take the punishment for all of mankind's sins, from Adam to the last human to be born, so that anyone who believes in Him is given eternal life as a free gift.

[–] liscarkat (16652) 3 years ago

"God never intended for it [being killed by his father, Abraham] to actually happen to Isaac, it was a test of faith."

The magnitude of psychological sadism that would be required to force a man to the brink of killing his own son is unimaginable. Any "god" that would subject two people to such horrific mental cruelty is a psychopathic monster.

[–] liscarkat (16652) 3 years ago

"Far more deaths and atrocities have been and continue to be committed in the name of the Christian God than to those gods of Mexico."

Yes, much evil has been committed in the name of Christianity, but imagine how much more brutal killing in the name of their gods the Aztecs would have carried out if their civilization hadn't been stopped in its tracks half a millennium ago and they had continued as they were.

[–] christomacin (4539) 2 years ago

The Aztecs could have self-destructed like many civilizations before them. They also had lots of enemies, as the numerous Native Americans who helped the Spaniards proved.

[–] molarmaven59 10 years ago

SusanJL:

You do not know the half of it.

The Spanish were sacrificed to the Aztec gods as well. This is based upon forensics, not hearsay.

As I am a doctor I seriously question the spreading of small pox to the New World. It is a deadly virus, and I find it difficult to believe that the Spanish survived it to ONLY spread it to the New World.

[–] HijodelCid 10 years ago

Diego Rivera, who adored the Aztecs and the Mexican Revolution, would not have been very happy living under the Aztec empire.
By the way, the Aztec royal house still exists, with descendants of Moctezuma living in both Mexico and Spain; some of them are also descendants of Cortes.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)