I have read many accounts of Hernán Cortés’ conquest of the Aztecs at Tenochtitlán (modern Mexico City), including descriptions of their mass human sacrifices to their local gods. I’m now reading The End of Everything by Victor Davis Hanson which contains another account of the practices, and the fact that after the sacrifices were killed their bodies were literally thrown to the observing multitudes to be eaten (cannibalized). The last was a new one for me. I knew about the huge numbers of killed during ceremonies, but don’t recall ever having read what happened to the bodies.

Question:
Is that something you knew: that after the sacrifices were killed that their bodies were given to the spectators to be eaten?

Choices:
Yes.
No.

 

This is reaaly new to me, and i live near the border with Mexico.

I’m guessing the author took some liberties with, "prove me wrong" response.

But then again, all Native American tribes were peace loving, kumbaya types.

Yes, I was aware of this. Apparently much of the warfare that occurred among the Aztecs/Mexican tribes was to fill their larders, and that the war tactics that were developed to take prisoners for slavery, sacrifice, and meat put them at a severe disadvantage to the Spaniards who were not so reluctant to kill their opponents on the battlefield.

They also ate their pet dogs (Chihuahuas).

VDH does indicate that the practice is known to other scholars, but as I say it was new to me. He briefly discusses the various theories about the practice, including just the need for protein.

He also mentions that both human sacrifice and cannibalism were practiced by other smaller tribes, but not on the same scale as the Aztecs. Whenever I discover something like that which is new to me and not commonly mentioned in histories, I can only wonder why.

Did some aspect of cannibalism occur? Yes, almost certainly and the extent is contested. There is probably no way to know for sure the true extent of it.

I’ve never heard this before. I wonder if it happened with every sacrifice event, and if cannibalism was practiced outside of sacrifice?

VDH didn't say whether eating the victims was true of every sacrifice, but I got the impression that it was a regular part of the ceremony.

He did say that the practice was one thing the Spanish found abhorrent.

Numerous references can be found relating to this practice

Aztecs

Aztec 2

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
VDH didn't say whether eating the victims was true of every sacrifice, but I got the impression that it was a regular part of the ceremony.

I remember reading about this practice when I was much younger...like 50 years ago...and just accepted it as a cultural practice

I seem to remember that the number and type of sacrifices would differ depending on the god being sacrificed to...as different gods had differing needs and preferences.

In the most formal/important rituals, being sacrificed was considered an honor, as the victim was considered a messenger to the god(s) and was deified upon their death. Eating his remaining body was considered honoring that god

quote:

He did say that the practice was one thing the Spanish found abhorrent.

While it has been much ritualized, it really isn't much different than the Christian sacrament of Communion

Many non-Christians who are asked to convert are stunned by the practice when it is explained to them

Lots of disagreement over how much cannibalism actually went on. It certainly piques the interest of many people.

How cannibalism is viewed is of course a cultural issue, and I sometimes wonder why it is such a common taboo. Perhaps the most likely explanation is that if it’s okay to eat someone else, it may make it too easy to justify killing them for the purpose. That would be somewhat like why sexual lust is considered by some to be a sin: “Don’t even think it, and you won’t end up doing it.”

Cannibalism was blamed for the spread of the prion disease kuru among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea, but I have never heard that there were other health hazards associated with the practice.

It's advisable for the discriminating cannibal to use an accurate meat thermometer. I would also guess that cannibalism would be frowned upon to keep individuals from acquiring a taste for their comrades. No one wants to hunt cooperatively with the guy that actually prefers the taste of human.

quote:

I sometimes wonder why it is such a common taboo.

Perhaps because those in societies practicing it noticed that subsequent generations developed endemic diseases that those who didn't, didn't? There are many examples other than kuru.

quote:

How cannibalism is viewed is of course a cultural issue

Maybe not so much for the victim?

Equating ritualistic sacrifice and cannibalism with the Christian sacrament of communion?
Stunning indeed.

Mel Gibson's movie Apocolypto vividly portrays the human sacrifices practiced by the Aztecs.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
There are many examples other than kuru.

I was not aware of that. What examples?

I understand that upon witnessing these human sacrifices, Cortez was convinced that the Aztecs were demonic and thus fair game for exploitation and destruction. Can’t say I blame him

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
Cortez was convinced that the Aztecs were demonic ....

That is something VDH mentions in his book.

Speaking as someone who minored in Latin American studies several decades ago (for whatever that is worth), I knew these things;
- the Aztecs performed large amounts of human sacrifice.
- they cut out the sacrifices heart and sometimes ate it.
- they rolled the dead bodies back down the temple stairs into the crowds below.

I did NOT know what the crowds did with those bodies, and don’t recall them being eaten for either ritual or nutritional reasons. Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, but that wasn’t part of the Aztec culture I ever learned about. I would hardly consider myself a scholar on the topic though.

- Bret

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
I understand that upon witnessing these human sacrifices, Cortez was convinced that the Aztecs were demonic and thus fair game for exploitation and destruction. Can’t say I blame him

He was 100% correct on that.