Figure 1.--Famed Mexican muralists José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera depicted Amer-Indian peoples as innocent victims and both Spanish conquitadores along with priests as well as American capitalists as unscrupulous war-mongering monsters. Both artists worked for a time in America during the Depression. Rivera worked for Rockefeller in the RCA Building. Orozco created 'The Epic of American Civiization' at Dartmouth College (1932-34). Rivera's work was destroyed. Orozco's work survives. This is a pannel from the Epic depicting Meso-American humann sacrifice. None of his Mexican work was so honest and grapically intense. The Dartmouth College caption is not all together accurate. It was not only captured warriors who were sacificed, but also women and children. Orozco compares this with modern capialism, ignoring the mass murder being conducted by the Soviet state at the time.

Meso-American people share many cultural attributes, the artifact of a common mother culture which developed in wha is now the Mexican sate of Veracruz. We see similar religious beliefs ad even shared gods. One of those cultural attributes was human sacrifice. The Aztecs raised it to unprecedented levels, but it was common throughout Meso-America. Other advanced civilizations moved away from human sacrifice. This as not he case in Meso-America. One author insists that for the Aztecs and presumably other Meso-American people, it was first and foremost survival. in a dangerous world. Aztec cosmology involved the sun god Huitzilopochtli waging a never-ending struggle against darkness. If the darkness won, it would mean the end of the world and life itself. It was Huitzilopochtli that ensured The sun kept across the sky, preserving life on earth. The Aztecs needed to feed Huitzilopochtli with human hearts and blood. 【Verano】 Human sacrifice was already well established when the Aztecs arrived in the Central Valley of Mexico. Other Meso-American cultures, including the Purépechas and Toltecs, and the Maya performed human sacrifices. Archaeological evidence suggests that the practice existed among the the Olmecs (1200–400 BC). There is reason to believe that it excised among the early farming cultures in Meso-America. While the practice has been identified among some Meso-American civilizations, evidence is lacking among many. And even when detected, the actual prevalence of human sacrifice is largely unknown among most Meso-American civilizations. Some authors insist that it was rare. Even among he Aztecs there is some debate concerning the extent. One author writes, "What distinguished Aztec practice from Maya human sacrifice was the way in which it was embedded in everyday life. These cultures also notably sacrificed elements of their own population to the gods." While some of their own people were sacrificed, one of the major reasons for inter-tribal war was to secure victims for human sacrifice. Spanish conquistadors and priers described the practice, but a range of authors questioned the accounts, especially he huge numbers of victims attributed the Aztecs. Modern scholars give more credence to the Spanish accounts, although the huge numbers still lack definitive confirmation. "It was a deeply serious and important thing for them. Large and small human sacrifices would be made throughout the year to coincide with important calendar dates, he explains, to dedicate temples, to reverse drought and famine, and more." 【Verano 】 Sacrifices in the tens of thousands for special occasions are sill based only on Spanish sources. One supporting matter is the degree to which he Aztec were hated by neighboring people.

Sources

Verano, John. Tulane University.

Created: 10:21 PM 11/1/2024
Last updated: 10:21 PM 11/1/2024