History of the United States I / Unit 1 USH1 0010 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Aztec Sacrifice
Captions available
The idea
Warrior-nobles and priests performed daily human sacrifice, opening the chest with an obsidian knife and removing the beating heart.
In practice
The stated purpose: to sustain the sun's journey, feed the gods, and stimulate agricultural production.
Where people slip
Ten years before the Spanish came, Moctezuma received omens, among them a fiery object in the sky and a woman heard wailing for her children.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for History of the United States I