To: Sabertooth
I'd like to add a few items:
The Aztecs were the only cannibal empire in history.
Many victims were eaten after sacrifice; IIRC, the captor got at least one limb, the torso went to feed the emperor's menagerie, the priests got the head (brains...) and the remaining limbs either went to the captor or to the knightly orders. One description of meal had the limb stewed with tomatoes and chilies: sort of a precursor to modern-day chili!
Social advancement was achieved by capturing prisoners for sacrifice. A commoner could achieve noble status by capturing enough prisoners (though the status of the prisoners started mattering after a certain point).
Since the locals had wiped out most of the big game animals, non-warriors and slaves had mostly vegetable diets; they depended on beans, maize and squash to get the amino acids they needed, but sometimes one or more of the "three sisters" was not available. Eating human flesh was a big advantage that just happened to be reserved for nobles, warriors, and priests. Coincidence, right?
BTW: I don't think they took the hearts of children sacrificed to Tlaloc. They beat them to make them cry (symbolizing rain) then drowned them.
And the name of the flayed god was Xipe Totec. The priests wore the flayed skin until it fell apart, so they wanted to do a good job skinning the sacrifice.
Too much information, eh? I have always thought that the Spanish did a good thing by destroying the Aztecs and Incas. I hope we are able to do a good thing by destroying what passes for culture among Islamic nations.
60 posted on
06/02/2004 12:43:11 PM PDT by
Little Ray
(John Ffing sKerry: Just a gigolo!)
To: Little Ray
Good facts there. I picked up much of the same from reading about the Aztecs. Nazism, Islamism and the Aztecs are all intriguing for the same reasons. PURE EVIL.
70 posted on
06/02/2004 7:50:46 PM PDT by
dennisw
("Allah FUBAR!")
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