What reasons did the Aztecs have to sacrifice people?

Colin gives a good list of beliefs of the Aztecs for human sacrifice. All Mesoamerican societies engaged in some human sacrifice, but the Aztecs did it on an industrial scale, with many, many more deaths per year than other peoples. Philosophicall... read more

Colin gives a good list of beliefs of the Aztecs for human sacrifice. All Mesoamerican societies engaged in some human sacrifice, but the Aztecs did it on an industrial scale, with many, many more deaths per year than other peoples. read more

Scope of Human Sacrifice In Aztec Culture A tzompantli, or skull rack, as shown in the post-Conquest Ramirez Codex. Some post-conquest sources report that at the re-consecration of Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in 1487, the Aztecs sacrificed about 80,400 prisoners over the course of four days. read more

Blood was a common theme - the sacrifice that the gods required (see Aztec religion for more on Aztec sacrifice). So, animals would be sacrificed, as well as humans. Also, there was ritual blood-letting, where people would cut themselves to offer their blood to the gods. read more