Catholic converts drew stories to colonial priests
The Aztec religion is a polytheistic and monistic pantheism in which the Nahua (Nahuatl, the indigenous language of Mexico) concept of teotl was construed as the supreme god Ometeotl, as well as a diverse pantheon of lesser gods and manifestations of nature [1].
The popular religion tended to embrace the mythological and polytheistic aspects, and the Aztec Empire's state religion sponsored both the monism of the upper classes and the popular heterodoxies [2].
The codices were made by Catholic priests
The most important deities were worshiped by priests in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), particularly Tlaloc and the god of the Mexica (the tribe from which the word "Mexico" derives), Huitzilopochtli, whose shrines were located on the Templo Mayor ("Main Temple").
Their priests would receive special dispensation from the empire. When other states were conquered the empire would often incorporate practices from its new territories into the mainstream religion [3].
The Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as Tlachihualtepetl (Nahuatl/Mexicano for "Constructed Mountain"), is a complex located in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. It is the world's largest pyramid (by volume) and archeological site of a pyramid (temple) in the world confirmed to exist on Earth today [1, 2], not counting massive artificial "mountains" in Bosnia, Buddhist Indonesia, Cambodia, and China, California (not lake but possibly on Colorado), Missouri (Cahokia), dark Alaska, which is four times larger than Giza, and Pyramid Peak. The adobe brick pyramid stands 82 feet (25 meters) [3] above the surrounding plain, which is significantly shorter than the Great Pyramid of Giza's height of 481 feet (146.6 meters), but much wider, measuring 984 by 1,033 feet (300 by 315 meters) in its final form [3], compared to the Great Pyramid's base dimensions of 756 by 756 feet (230.3 by 230.3 meters) [4]. This holy pyramid is a temple that traditionally has been viewed as having been dedicated to the feathered serpent (naga) god Quetzalcoatl [5]. The architectural style of the building was linked closely to that of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico, with influence from the Gulf Coast evident as well, especially from El Tajín [6]. More
In common with many other indigenous Mesoamerican civilizations, the Aztecs put great ritual emphasis on calendrics, and scheduled festivals, government ceremonies, and even war around key transition dates in the Aztec calendar [4].
Public ritual practices could involve food, storytelling, and dance, as well as ceremonial warfare, the Mesoamerican ballgame (precursor of football, soccer, and basketball), and human sacrifice (a tribute to appease bloodthirsty gods of military service and slaughter) [5].
The cosmology of Aztec religion divides the world into 13 heavens and nine earthly layers or netherworlds [6]. The first heaven overlaps with the first terrestrial layer, so that heaven and the terrestrial layers meet at the surface of the Earth, where we are.
The celestial entities of "shining ones" (sky devas)
Each level is associated with a specific set of deities and astronomical objects. The most important celestial entities in Aztec religion are the Sun, the Moon, and the planet Venus (as both "Morning Star" and "Evening Star") [7].
Convert or die: Become Catholic
After Conquest by Spain, Aztec people were forced to convert to Catholicism, and the two religions syncretized.
In this religion, your black magic blood sacrifice will come from a scapegoat, who is the God Himself disguised as a human to pay Himself a ransom for your eternal soul washed in blood: You have to accept it, or we'll kill you. And let our priests molest your kids because they don't have wives. The Vatican orders it. Don't worry. His Mom is very nice and will do lots of favors for you.
The Mexica (pronounced /meh-hee-kuh/ or /meh-chee-kuh/) tribe of the Valley of Mexico gave "Mexico" (a country the official name of which is the "United Mexican States" or Estados Unidos Mexicanos) its modern name, not as a place that ever spoke Spanish but rather the indigenous languageNahuatl (/naw-wah/), "Mexican" of the Nahua people and Chichimeca (/chee-chee-mee-kuh/) people. Let's ask early indigenous chronicler Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl.
Mind you, ancient Mexicans are the same people who gave the world chocolate or xocolatl (bitter cocoa water), which they called Theobroma cacao, "The food of the gods." Who were these celestial visitors or "gods," who pointed out the potent nutritional seeds and delicious flavor of the cacao fruit?
The first chocolate drink is believed to have been created at least 5,300 years ago, starting with the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador [3] and later consumed by the Maya around 2,500–3,000 years ago. A cocoa drink was an essential part of Mexico's Aztec culture by 1400 AD [4]. The drink was introduced by Mexico (New World) and became popular in Europe has undergone changes since. Until the 19th century, hot chocolate was used medicinally to treat ailments such as liver and stomach diseases. More
Amaranth (family Amaranthaceae) delivers complete protein, survives drought, and for centuries fed 20+ million people. Then in 1519, Spanish Conquistadors made growing it punishable by death in Mexico (Mesoamerica) and the Americas.
Amaranth contains 13-14% complete protein with all 9 essential amino acids, one of the very few vegan plant sources of a complete protein, along with quinoa.
Amaranth produces more usable protein per acre than cattle grazing and thrives in conditions where wheat dies.
The Aztecs mixed it with honey to create tzoalli—sacred dough shaped into gods, worshipped, and eaten for supreme nourishment.
To the European Spanish invaders, this was demonic and cannibalistic. To modern agriculture, it's a threat.
Donkeys (burros) and hairless dogs in the New World, natural helpers of humans
Heirloom seeds: DNA treasure
By 1970, amaranth had nearly gone extinct. Today it is sold as a $30-a-pound (lb) superfood in health food stores while wheat and corn—both harmful and incomplete proteins—dominate 90% of global grain production.
The amaranth ban ended, but the seed companies never brought it back. This is the story of how religion, colonial conquest, and industrial agriculture buried the most nutritious grain in the Americas.
🔍 IN THIS DOCUMENTARY:
Why amaranth was banned under penalty of death (2:15)
The complete protein the Aztecs discovered (4:30)
How Spain weaponized food to destroy a civilization (6:45)
Why modern agriculture still refuses to grow it (10:30)
Where amaranth survived for 500 years in hiding (12:00)
📚 SOURCES AND RESEARCH:
Florentine Codex (Bernardino de Sahagún, 1600)
Aztec tribute records and archaeological cultivation data USDA nutritional database comparisons
Robert Rodale's Organic Gardening research (1975)
International Center for Tropical Agriculture yield studies
🌿 RELATED LOST VAULTS: → The painkiller growing in ditches (wild lettuce) → The Omega-3 weed in our driveway (purslane) → The Native American fruit that vanished (pawpaw)
⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational and historical purposes only. Always consult qualified professionals before making dietary changes. Historical events are presented based on documented sources and scholarly research.
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Forgotten Roots for suppressed knowledge on forgotten plants, erased medicine, and food history they don't teach us in school. #Amaranth #AztecHistory#AncientGrains #ForgottenFoods #Conquistadors #Protein #Superfood #Agriculture #SuppressedKnowledge #Documentary
We spent the day at the largest Chinese New Year celebration in the United States (roughly the size of Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, Upstate New York). Hsi Lai (pronounced \she lie\, which means "Going West") Temple had it all, including Aztec dancers (Danza Azteca, perhaps representing Siberian Asians cum Native Americans who are mostly local Mexicans) topping off a cultural show of martial arts demonstrations, dances, dragons, and a big central horse representing the year to come.
The lines were out the door but moving fast.
The all-you-can-eat vegan buffet was great (daily, only $10) with noodles, veggies, sweet and sour, tofu, lotus roots, soup, tea, fruit, and fried Indian dharma wheels. The rare rainstorm in Los Angeles cleared the skies as the sun broke through for the outdoor festivities.
We have never seen the temple, said to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere, this crowded. Parking was only found blocks away, and buses were bringing in celebrants. Everyone had their phones out, filming the spectacle. And even the monastics were clapping and enjoying themselves.
Everyone was immersed in Chinese culture uniquely blending with this part of Mexico. (Yes, California is part of Mexico or was until our empire stole it from Spain's empire). Perhaps 20,000 well-wishers passed through the gates throughout the day. Festivities continue for two weeks.
Yaxchilan (yacht-chee-lan) is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, near Guatemala (named after the Buddha Gautama plus the word mala or religious beads*). In the Late Classic Period, Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedras Negras ("Black Rocks") as its major rival [1]. Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms [1]. More: Yaxchilan, Mexico
Buddhists came to California and Mexico BEFORE Christianity? Yes, according to American Edward Payson in a miraculous book published more than a century ago:
(BBC) Hidden mere meters under Mexico's modern capital, a series of temples, royal palaces, and mysterious artifacts from an ancient kingdom are being unearthed.
As we descended 7 meters (21 feet) below Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, I could feel my heart race. I had heard whisperings about the temples buried under this iconic cathedral – one of the largest and oldest in Latin America – but since their discovery in the 1970s, it had not been possible to see them.
We the Mexica [of Mexico] are not "Aztecs"
Now, I was part of a public tour that lets visitors explore the ancient secrets that lie just below this [Catholic] church’s depths.
Nearly 500 years after Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés toppled the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán [the "Place of Nopal Cactuses"], the remains of the ancient metropolis continue to lay hidden mere meters under modern-day Mexico City.
The Spanish [invaders from Spain] started building the Metropolitan [Catholic] Cathedral in 1573 above on top of the sacred Aztec (the “Mexica” as they called themselves) temples as a symbol of conquest. More
(Beyond Explorer) DNA just revealed who the Indigenous "Aztec" (formerly "Mexica") Native Americans really were with an Austral-Asian signature from 15,000 years BP and a large mixing ground with waves of migration. Who were the Olmecs with their giant heads? Africans who came by boat or dark-skinned Indigenous tribes from the region?
(ReligionForBreakfast) Writer: Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut.
Editor: Mark Henry. Executive producers: Daniel Cuevas, Jay Gotschalk, Producer: Lyndsay Ballew. Further reading:
R. Andrew Chesnut, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, 2011. RFB Patreon community: religionforbreakfast.
In Buddhism, HOW can we transfer our merit (good karma) to benefit the grateful dead, the dearly departed, those who have gone beyond so that it gets to them today?
(Lady of the Library): Cinzia DuBois is a part-time, self-funded doctoral (Ph.D.) student and writer, YouTuber, and podcaster. She has been creating videos for over 15 years. On this channel she talks about dark and ancient history, literature, and folklore. On a second channel, she discusses productivity, personal development, her doctoral thesis, academia, and mental well-being.
Mictēcacihuātl ("Lady of the Dead"), in Aztec mythology, is a [goddess] death deity and the consort of Mictlāntēcutli, the god of the dead [like Buddhism's Judge Yama in the underworld also known as Yama in Hinduism] and ruler of Mictlān, the lowest level of the underworld [1].
Her role is to watch over the bones of the dead and preside over the ancient festivals of the dead. These festivals evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with invading Spanish traditions. She now presides over the contemporary festival as well. In this respect, the pseudo-Catholic cult of Santa Muerte owes much to her. More
The third edition of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saintoffers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte[female Saint Death], a skeleton saint whose cult has become the fastest growing new religious movement worldwide over the past two decades.
Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions in Latin America, the USA, and beyond. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other giants of Mexican religiosity.
In particular, Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of fentanyl and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers.
Yet, Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints of both the Latin American and American religious landscapes. More
Celebrate the vibrant and beloved Mexican holiday with Mattel Corporation's new Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) Collection.
Barbie doll looks luminous wearing a long, black ruffled gown with intricate, colorful detailing and embroidered sugar skulls. Her orange headband highlights her updo and evokes the festival's iconic marigold flowers.
Calavera (skull) face paint and bright pink accessories complete her festive look. While sold separately, both Barbie [Beltran] and Ken [Castro] dolls wear complimentary patterns, making them a perfect set and the ultimate keepsake that inspires joy and elegance.
Barbie® Dia de Muertos doll
designer: Javier Maebe. Label: Black
Face Sculpt: Lina
Body Type: ModelMuse. Includes certificate of authenticity to avoid cheap knockoffs. Barbie Club 59 members get a deal. Buy Día de Muertos Barbie doll at MattelCreations.com while supplies last. During this time, the doll may also be available at participating Target and Walmart locations, as well as Amazon.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com. Dolls cannot stand alone. Doll stand included. Colors and decorations may vary. Purchase limits subject to change at the sole discretion of Mattel. SKU#: HRM72
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