Aztec Sacrifice
Aztec Sacrifice

History 2A Topic 2

The first people arrived in North America between twenty-five to forty thousand years ago by walking across the land bridge created by the last Ice Age. When the ice melted the strait flooded again and further migration was cut-off.

Indian civilizations began to develop from 200 BC to 1 BC; five thousand years after the West and China. The Aztecs were the last of a series of advanced cultures in Mexico and Central America. Our record of them comes primarily from Pedro De Gante who compiled and had written down the oral tradition of the Aztecs. Aztec culture was at about the same level as Ancient Egypt. The main Aztec contribution was a series of roads that connected their empire. These were designed for travel by foot because the Aztecs didn't have draft animals or wheeled carts. Aztec sculpture, painting and architecture were dominated by religious subjects. However, Aztec painting also depicted the exploits of their emperors and historic events. These murals were destroyed during the Spanish Conquest. Luckily, Aztec painting survived in their pictographic manuscripts. Their writing was a combination of ideogram, phoneticism and pictography. Aztec literature covered all aspects of their culture and poetry was greatly respected. The Aztecs had music, but none exists because they didn't have musical notation. Their music gave rhythm to their singing and dancing. The Aztecs built sturdy homes and great temples, palaces and pyramids. The Aztec language is still spoken in central Mexico and the Aztec words chocolate and tomato are used throughout the World. Aztec society was dominated by human sacrifice. Constant expansion and war were necessary to continue the flow of victims. Part of the taxes paid by subject people consisted of a number of men and women for sacrifice. Aztecs were also among those who were slain for their Gods. The victims were marched-up the Aztec pyramids and held down, face-up, over an altar. The priests would cut open the chest and tear out the heart, holding it in the air to the screaming delight of the people below. They would then smash the heart into the mouths of their idols. Next, the victims arms and legs were cut off. They were then cooked and feed to the people. The Aztec demand for victims steadily increased and reached a peak just before the arrival of the Spanish. A new temple in the center of their capitol was the chance for a massive blood feast. During 1487 about eighty thousand people were sacrificed and eaten over a four day period. Aztec imperialism and oppression made it easy for the Spanish to find Indian allies.

The American colonists primarily encountered tribal American Indians. These people ranged from early to fully developed Neolithic. The Eastern Indians were mostly in the fully developed Neolithic stage. They learned to mine and smelt and invented bark and dugout canoes. However, only one or two California tribes learned to build a boat from plank and timber. They made pottery that could stand a hot fire, but they never discovered the potter’s or any other kind of wheel. Their only beast of burden was the dog.

The Indians had no concept of Monotheism in their religion. The "Creator" or the "Old Person" spoke to them through dreams and visions and they had periodic renewal ceremonies which required human sacrifice. The Indians believed that animals, rocks and insects had souls and that they could communicate with them. Each Indian had his guardian manitou to whom he looked for guidance and protection. At fourteen or fifteen the Indian boy would go to a solitary place and stay for four to five days without food. Eventually he would have visions and dreams. Whatever image appeared first or most often would be his manitou. An eagle or bear foretold that he would be a warrior, a wolf meant he would be a hunter and a serpent relgated him to becoming a medicine man. Most desirable of all was to be a warrior. The American Indians believed in the immortality of the soul and skillful hunters and brave warriors could look forward to going to the happy hunting ground after death. The lazy, cowardly and weak however were doomed to eat serpents and ashes in a dreary region of mist and darkness. Most traditions agreed that spirits on their journey to heaven were beset with difficulties. For example, swift rivers had to be crossed while walking on a shaking log and fighting a mad dog. If they lost their balance and fell they would tumble into the abyss and eternal darkness.

The Eastern Indians mainly ate corn and saved deer and dog meat for feasts. They lived mostly in permanent towns and moved every ten to thirty years when the soil stopped producing crops. They would then burn their village and move to a new area. They did have a concept of personal property. Whatever the Indian warrior had in his personal control was his. However, if he left a knife or any other object untended another Indian could take it and this was not considered theft. The American Indian ruling structure was loose. Everyone did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. A chief was followed because they were good warriors or very intelligent. However, the warriors didn't have to listen to them or take their orders. The Indians communicated with other tribes through sign language and usually wouldn't learn another tribe's language. Marriage existed, but divorce took place at the will of either party. There was also temporary and experimental marriage, which lasted a day, a week, or more. The men hunted, fought and made their weapons and pipes. All other work was done by the women. The most common cure for any health problem was the sweat bath.

Warfare amongst the American Indians was constant. There were three motivations for fighting: to acquire personal prestige, vengeance for enemy attacks and to obtain prisoners for sacrifice. Captured women over twelve would be raped and then killed. Babies had their heads bashed against trees. Children up to ten years old would have their throats cut. Children from ten to twelve years old would be taken to be sold as slaves. Captured men over twelve would be taken back for torture. Our information about Indian torture comes from survivors and white observers. Jesuit priests living with the Indians gave detailed reports, as did European troops who were allied with different Indian groups. There were very few captives who survived to tell the tale. The question is why would anyone allow themselves to by taken alive? The answer is that they still hoped to escape. The Indians would first tear out their captives fingernails and would bit off their trigger or bow fingers. They would then tie-up their victims with leather straps. The prisoners would have their arms tied behind their back and their feet would be tied so they could only walk in a slow shuffle. The Indians would cut the captives neck and shoulder muscles so they would be unable to work-out of their bonds. As they passed other villages of their tribe they would stop and let them in on the fun. The victims would be stripped naked and forced to walk between lines of Indians who would cut them, burn them and hit them. At this point they might be saved if an Indian women took a fancy to them. They would then become married and the prisoner would be adopted into the tribe. However, this rarely happened. The real torture started when they arrived at the home village of the warriors. The torture could last up to a week. The captive would first be given over to the bachelor warriors. They would build a bed of hot coals with Indians holding torches on each side. The prisoner had to run back and forth through the fire while also being burned by the torches. This continued all day until the captive became unconscious. The next day he would be rested and fed. The third day the fourteen to eighteen year olds would play with the victim. The youths would cut and stab him in the arms, legs and bottom and then they would quickly plunge glowing brands into the wounds to stop the flow of blood. This was followed by another day of rest and refreshment. The next group to have a go at the captive were the women. The torture they inflicted was so horrible that none of the witnesses would describe it. Again there was a day of recovery before the final ordeal. The morning of the victim's last day the Indians would build a six-seven foot high scaffold. This would be built near a tree with an overhanging branch. The prisoners arms would be pulled up to the branch and tied while he stood on the platform. This was done so the entire village could see the prisoner squirm. First they would make the captive eat his own flesh. They would for example cut off his ear and force him to chew and swallow it. Hot brands were then thrust down his throat, into his eyes and up his rectum. They would then tear his scalp off and pour burning pitch on his head. When it was clear he was near death they would break open his head with a club and then cut it off. His stomach was cut open and his intestines were cut-up and put on sticks for the children to carry around as a sign of victory. His body was then cut-up and eaten by the tribe.

Indian battle honors were rewarded with eagle feathers. Touching an enemy who was still alive and fighting was considered the greatest honor. They called this counting coup ( a French word adopted by the Indians meaning to hit) and they carried special coup sticks for this purpose. Rescuing dead and wounded tribe members was also an important honor. The Indians excelled at ambush, but only rarely would conduct a stand-up fight or an attack on a fort. Warriors only fought when they thought they could win and they worried about casualties. The loss of even one warrior was considered too much for a tribe to bear. Consequently, individual Indians or entire groups of warriors would leave a battle if the fighting became too dangerous. Occasionally the entire Indian force would quit the fight if things weren't going well for them. The Indians didn't have a security system so their villages were usually caught unprepared for an attack. They also had a complete lack of discipline and this caused many of their planned attacks to fail.

Special Topics

The following are important areas to pay special attention to as you read about the American Indians: American Indians origins, Aztecs, North American Indian tribes.

Answers to topic questions should be at least two hundred words.

Samuel Eliot Morison states: "...the American Indians were a great and noble race..." He also states: "...the ultimate outcome of the pressure of a technologically advanced European civilization on the American Indian was almost always extinction or dispersal." Based upon the assigned readings for this week do you agree or disagree? Were the American Indians a great and noble race? Did the ultimate outcome of the clash between the Europeans and American Indians have to be almost always extinction or dispersal? Why or why not?

E-mail your answers to me.

Discussion Group Questions Topic 2

After posting your answers to the questions below on the discussion group, review the answers of other students and post reply/comments on at least one.

Click on the discuss button located below to post your answer to Discussion Question 2.

Readings for Topic 2

Required Readings:

READ: Read my lecture

Tindall--Chapter 1