Hispanic-American

Indians
Latin American Indians
Mayas Toltec Aztecs Incas Other
Cannibalism Skull Hunters

The Aztec Calendar is not a simple

calendar, but a cosmological interpretation
of the Earth and Stars periods and
movements.

It is in Mexico City, a huge single carved

stone with 12 feet of diameter, weighing
12,000 pounds, more accurately called
"Stone of the Sun", because it is an image of
the cosmogony depicting the 5 ages of
"suns" of the universe.
It has 7 "circles":
The second one, shows 4 squares signifying the 4 ways the Earth has been destroyed: By the
Jaguar (by monsters), by Winds, Storms, and Water (the Deluge).
The first circle shows the god "Sun", with the tongue out, meaning he needs human blood, so
the humans on Earth will not be annihilated again.
The next 5 circles show the ways of the stars. The last circle are 2 Serpents, whose tails meet
at the top
The Aztec Calendar Aztec Calendar

Latin American Indians:

The Indians from Mexico, Central and South America live in the Continent for over 5,000
years with 51 tribes and more than 30 different languages.
They were very industrious and artistic people, with strong family and community ties... very
joyful, with beautiful songs and dances to celebrate the feasts of the gods, and to enjoy
themselves... they had incredible knowledge of astrology, mathematics, writing... and very pious.

About 25 million of them still live their ancient traditions in syncretism with Christianity... in
1996 23 Maya-priests were ordained in Guatemala, after centuries of no Maya priesthood.

Their religious view is "animistic", in the sense that the Indians see the world as peopled by
spirits, souls, ghosts and witches capable of inflicting harm if the proper ritual precautions are
not taken. Omens, dreams, and talismans are of great importance.. as all animistic societies, they
have many gods, the sun, moon, serpent, jaguar... and often, the emperors themselves were gods.

This polytheism is totally prohibited in the Bible, because "there is only one God, and other gods
are devils or idols" (Psalm 96:5).
The Bible also condemns very strongly all kinds of astrology, divination, magic, witches and
Spiritism, saying that it is "abomination to God", and orders "to stone them to death"
(Deuteronomy.18, Leviticus.20)... because to put your trust, and give yourself to an idol, another
god, is like the wife who trusts and gives herself to other man who is not her husband... the sin of
idolatry, is called in the Bible "prostitution against God", the greatest sin! (Lev.20).
The Indian culture is so much appreciated, that only in Mexico there are 13,000 archeological
excavations going on today.
MAYAS:
They have lived in Guatemala and Mexico for about 3,000 years... and their ceremonial centers
totally collapsed in 869 AC without any known reason.

The capital was in Guatemala; Palenque, in Yucatan, is the most beautiful Maya site; near
Mexico City, Teotihuacan is an immense ceremonial center and city, with the two tallest
pyramids in Indian architecture, the sun and the moon; hundreds of feet of walls covered with
magnificent frescoes have been uncovered.

Their pyramids, unlike the Egyptians, are not burial places, but ceremonial centers to worship the
gods, and make feasts in their honor... in their special basketball courts, a game may last several
days, and the winner is to be killed and offered to the god, pulling out his heart.

Contrary of what has often been claimed, the Classic Maya practiced human sacrifice on an
extensive scale; torture followed by decapitation was most common on the evidence of pictorial
ceramics, but heart sacrifice has also been depicted on the monuments.

Some of their gods are, "Itzamna", the supreme creator, and the lord of fire and of the heart; in its
serpent form, is the one hold by the rulers in the ceremonies. The Feathered Serpent, Kukulcan;
and the God-K, with a baroquely branching nose, also is held as a scepter in the ruler's hand.
La Cultura Maya Beautiful pictures of the Pyramids
TOLTECS:
In 975 a.C. the Toltec warriors from Tula, near Mexico City, move to Veracruz, beat the Mayas
and established themselves in Yucatan, at Chichen-Iza, which had earlier been a Maya
ceremonial center; they also settle at Mayapan (987), and Uxmal (1007). They lasted until 1200
a.C.

They practiced human sacrifice and the use of the "tzompantli", the rack where the skulls of the
death were hung.
AZTECS:

The Aztecs came from Aztlan (white land), in northern Mexico in the 12th century. They were
also called the "Tenochca", and the "Mexica", from Metzliapan (Moon Lake); from Tenochca
came the name of their great city, Tenochtitlan, in the actual Mexico City; and Mexica, was
applied to the capital, and to the whole nation.

In 1521 the last Aztec leader, Montezuma II was killed, and the great Aztec Empire fall to the
Spaniards, under Hernan Cortes.

Pyramid like temples to the Aztec gods stood in the heart of Tenochtitlan, and each year about
20,000 of human beings were sacrificed to Aztec gods, specially to Huizilopochtli, the god of the
sun and war; their heart was torn out and offered to the god.

The Aztecs, believed that, as a people, they had a divine mission to prevent the fifth destruction
of the Earth. They believed the 4 previous destructions were caused by the death of the sun, and
the way to prevent his new death was by sustaining the sun with human hearts and blood.

Aztec religion heavily emphasized sacrifice and ascetic behavior as the necessary preconditions
for approaching the supernatural. Priest were celibate, and were required to live simple, Spartan
live. They performed constant self-sacrifice in the form of bloodletting as penitence, by passing
barbed cords through the tongue and ears.

The Aztec approach to contact the supernatural was through a complex calendar of great
ceremonies, which were held at their temples and were performed by the priests that acted as
intermediaries between the gods and the human beings. In all ceremonies were offerings and
sacrifices to gain the gods' favor and theatrical dramas of myths by masked performers in the
form of dances, songs and processionals. Each god has his special ceremony, and they had many
gods!, so the calendar was full...

The Aztec's was the religion of the Sun; but Tlaloc, the god of rain, had the same rank as the god
the sun... after death, the good go to a tropical paradise; the bad, to a cold and dark hell.
Look at the Aztec Calendar on the top page
INCAS:
In 1200 A.C. the Incas were established in their
capital, Cuzco, Peru; by 1450, they had
conquered may tribes, Chancas, Chimu... and by
1450 their glorious though short-lived civilization
extended to all the Andes, Peru, Ecuador,
Bolivia... where still millions of Indians speak the
"quechua" language.

In 1532 Francisco Pizarro, with 180 men,

conquered the Incas.

They had no writing, but their records were kept through use of the "quipu", a series of knotted
strings, whose color, and position of the knots served as a memory to recall important events.

For their buildings, they carved huge stones, as heavy as 200 tons, and they were so perfectly
carved that fit together without any mortar; in places, not even a knife blade fit between the
stones of their temples, as in Machu Picchu, in Cuzco, or Pachacamac near Lima.

In 1450, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui invented a state religion based on the worship of a creator-god
called Viracocha, Lord Instructor of the World, the Ancient One, the Old Man of the Sky.
Viracocha was the protector on the Sapa Inca, the Emperor. Inti was the Sun-god; Apu Illapu, the
rain giver; Mama- Kilya, wife of the sun, was the Moon Mother, regulator of women
menstruations.

Inca religion is an admixture of complex ceremonies, animistic beliefs, various forms of

fetishism (believe in objects having magical powers), and nature worship, culminating in
worship of the sun.

The priests would offer sacrifices mainly of white llamas, and, after chewing coca leaves,
summoned the spirits to speak, -"which they did"- by "ventriloquism". The "fire" provides
spiritual contact. And before any ceremony, "divination" was, as with the Romans, the
prerequisite of all action: Arrangement of coca leaves, taking coca leaves as a narcotic, studying
the lungs of a sacrificed llama...

Humans also were sacrificed: 200 children might be immolated when the Sapa Inca took power...
defeats, famine, and pestilence all called for human blood...

The "Chosen Women" were sworn to perpetual chastity... and after death, those who did good,
"do not steal, do not lie, don't be lazy", would go to live eternally to the sun's warmth; those who
did bad, would go eternally to the cold earth.
See The Empire of the Incas Incas Cuzco - Capital of the Incas, Machuu Pichuu - The
Lost City ...
OTHER LATIN-AMERICAN INDIANS:
In Paraguay:
Spanish Jesuits set up missions among them, forcing them to give up warfare and cannibalism.
Most of the modern population of Paraguay is descended from these Indians and can still speak
the Guarani language.
In Chile:
The "Araucanians" resisted conquest from the Spaniards, and maintained their independence
through the colonial period. When Chile became independent, the Araucanians became citizens.
In Argentina:
The "Puelche" of the Pampa learned to ride the horses brought by the Spaniards, and these shy
Indians became great and feared warriors just like the Comanche and Sioux of the North
American plains.
In Colombia and Central America:
The "Chibchan" tribes often buried gold ornaments with their chiefs, believing in the life after
death; robing Indian graves has been common for centuries. In Colombia, war seems to have
been especially vicious, to obtain captives to eat and for sacrifice.
In the Caribbean and Brazil:
It is little known about the native Indians, much of what is known is about the religions lived by
the slaves brought from Africa, mainly the Santeria, Palo Mayombe and Abaqua in Cuba, the
Hoodoo in Haiti, the Macumba, Candumble and Umbanda in Brazil, already commented in the
African religions.
All these Indians were polytheistic, with many gods, spirits, and rites, using amulets, fire...
Cannibalism:
When the Spaniards and Portuguese came to America found much cannibalism and skull hunters,
mainly in the forest areas.

The name was given by the Spaniards to those who ate human flesh in the New World. It was
done to obtain the strength and character of the flesh and blood of the person eaten... it was
fought and forbidden by the missionaries.

It has been reported among all the major racial groups, in the tropics, the temperate zones, and
the Arctic regions; in simple and complex societies; and among hunters and agriculturists.

The most frequent rationale for cannibalism has been found in its association with magical and
religious beliefs. In West Africa ate the dead to honor them, while another Africans ate human
flesh as a magical rite to insure success in trading ventures. In Melanesia, the dead were eaten in
order that the living might incorporate their spirits. While in Australia and Polynesia human flesh
was considered such despicable food that the eating of it was done to show extreme contempt for
an enemy group. It has been reported among the Eskimo and other hunting people.
Skull Hunters:
They would reduce the skulls to the size of a fist, and have them hung as trophies of war. Many
of them are in the Indian Museum in New York.
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