Pictures of life in Mexico/Volume 2/Chapter 35
CHAPTER XXXV.
ANCIENT AZTEC TEMPLES AND WORSHIP.
The Aztecs or ancient Mexicans, habitually addressed their officiating priests thus:—
"Natlazomahuiztespixcatatzin."
This, strange to say, is only a single Aztec word, complete and undivided; which, translated into an English sentence, would signify, "Venerable-priest-whom-I-cherish-as-my-father."
Excessively long words, of similar construction, are characteristic of the ancient Mexican tongue; they are not compounded, as is the case in other languages, but their peculiarities often depend on the manner of forming the plural number; sometimes the first syllable is doubled for this purpose as "miztli" plural "mimiztin;" and occasionally the repetition occurs in the middle of a word, as "ich-pochtli," plural "ichpopochtin." Words of this strangely comprehensive formation, have been found to include even thirty and two-and-thirty letters. "Amatlacuilolitquitcatlaxtlahuilli," signifying, "The-reward-given-to-the-messenger-who-carries-a-paper-on-which-is-painted-tidings." This is a single, undivided word, and contains thirty-three letters—the former example, given above, being composed of no fewer than twenty-seven.
The subject of the Aztec, or Nahuatl, religion, their gods, and the practice of offering human sacrifices, have been briefly described in a former chapter; but a more minute account of the principal temples and idols formerly existing, compiled from several ancient authorities, may not be inappropriate.
The great temple of Teocalli, or Mexith (from which the city of Mexico derived its name), was at first a humble cabin built of mud and hardened clay; but by the munificence of successive Aztec kings, it at length became the richest and most extensive building in ancient America. It occupied the centre of the city and was surrounded by a vast high wall of great thickness built of stone, in the form of a square, and wrought on the outside with knots of serpents intertwisted. The four sides of the square had as many gates, opening to the four quarters of the heavens; over each gate was a stone figure with outstretched arms: these were threshold gods, for the adoration of devotees on their entrance. Above each gate was, also, a building supplied with warlike implements, where the troops of the city retired on emergency; and on the inside of the walls were the habitations of the priests and attendants on the temple.
Near one of the gates was an initiatory chapel of stone, with thirty steps leading up to a flat roof; round this building rows of trees were planted, through holes in which were thrust bars, forming a continuous line, which were perpetually strung with the heads of victims sacrificed. The priests carefully kept an account of these ghastly trophies, and renewed them from time to time, as they fell away from decay. Between the square wall and the temple, there was room for from eight to ten thousand persons, who assembled and danced upon the solemn feast-days and spectacles; the space being paved with smoothly polished stones joined by white and red cement.
The temple itself stood in the midst of the space enclosed and was built in the form of a truncated pyramid, 378 feet square at its base; its flat roof was nearly 120 feet high, but the altitude of its highest towers was nearly 170 feet: seen from a distance it had the appearance of an enormous cube, with small altars and wooden cupolas on its top. The materials employed in its erection were clay and stones, faced with a porous stone resembling pumice-stone, but hard and smoothly polished; while, for the upper facings, pavements, and ornamental parts, coloured jasper stones of great value were used: which, with the red and white cement, had a rich and beautiful effect.
The building consisted of five stories shewn externally (the eastern pyramids had five floors internally); each, from the base upwards, being less by six feet all round than the one below it; and upon each story there was a flat open gallery, on which three or four men could walk abreast. On three sides of the building, every story was plain; but on each of the different stories on the south side was ranged a flight of steps—not a single continued staircase, but five, running from gallery to gallery; so that, on arriving at the top of the first flight, it was necessary to go all round before ascending the second; and thus with all the remainder. The balustrade rails of these steps were of a serpentine form, adorned with polished stones; while at intervals statues were stationed, supporting candelabra of a fantastic shape in their hands.
Upon the fifth and last story, there was a platform nearly two hundred and thirty feet square, finely paved with polished stones; at one end of which, was the green "Stone of Sacrifices," containing a hollow in which human victims were laid, while the priests opened their breasts and took out their hearts for offerings. In the eastern extremity of the platform, two towers were erected fifty-six feet high, each consisting of three stories; the lower one being built of stone, and the other two of wood: of these the lower story was properly devoted to the sanctuaries, which were of exquisite materials and workmanship and where the tutelary idols were placed upon stones five feet high. The other two stories of these towers were used to preserve the necessary utensils for the worship of the idols; and also the ashes of the king's and principal chiefs deposited there from a feeling of superstitious devotion. The doors of all these apartments were placed towards the west; and the two towers were surmounted by beautiful wooden cupolas; elaborately carved and ornamented.
Beneath the upper platform was an altar for the "sacrifice of gladiators," or fighting men. Before the two sanctuaries were two stone vessels, about the height of a man, in which the sacred fire was constantly preserved with the utmost care; for it was believed that the greatest calamities would occur if it should ever happen to be extinguished: these vessels were seldom approached without being sprinkled with human blood. In the other temples and sacred edifices comprised within the precincts of the external wall, there were six hundred vessels of the same size and form, which at night, when the whole were kindled, presented a most attractive and brilliant spectacle.There were also a number of minor chapels, or temples; some devoted to the worship of gods of Fire, Air, Earth, and Water, of the Sun and Night, and of Peace and War. A temple erected to the god of the Sun was particularly splendid: the walls were adorned with golden ornaments, and in the centre of the principal compartment of the building was a golden image of the luminary, surrounded with rays. The gates of this temple were beautifully ornamented with jasper and coloured woods: separate apartments for the priests being also contained within its walls.
The religious rites associated with these temples were horrible in the extreme: the gods were represented by the priests as delighting in offerings of vengeance and blood, and the deluded multitudes were daily familiarized to the sight of the most shocking atrocities. Superstitious dread appears to have been the source of all religious feeling at this period; and even the decorations of temples and other public buildings—consisting of serpents, tigers, and hideous nondescripts—were eminently calculated to inspire terror. Human sacrifices were considered to be the most expiatory for sin, and the most acceptable to the gods: sometimes the blood alone of the wretched victims would be offered on their altars; at others, their hearts were extracted and placed in the idols' mouths, as favourite morsels; and often entire human bodies were burned, as incense, on the stone altars, amidst loud acclamations. Captives, taken in war, were likewise devoted to the worship of the gods; their heads and hearts were the portions selected for sacrifice, the remainder of their bodies being either burned to ashes, or roasted and devoured by their conquerors. The skulls of all human sacrificial victims were carefully preserved, either in mounds or buildings; and so great was their number, that two of the officers of Cortez are said to have counted as many as 136,000 in the principal building kept for the purpose.
The Aztec god of Providence was called Tezcatlipoca; him they considered the creator of heaven and earth, the soul of the world and the lord of all things. This idol occupied a beautiful chapel lined with curtains, behind which it was placed on a high altar, sitting on a chair, or throne, mounted on a blue globe, to typify heaven. From the sides of the globe projected four rods, carved to represent serpents; the heads of which the priests placed on their shoulders when they exposed the idol to public adoration. The countenance of Tezcatlipoca was stern and horrible; its expression being heightened by two blue hands encircling the forehead and nose; and on its head was a helm composed of plumes of various colours in the form of a bird, with a bill and crest of burnished gold.
This idol also held in its right hand a curling serpent, which served for a staff; and in the left, four arrows, which were venerated as a present from Heaven, together with a shield having five white plumes placed over it in the form of a cross. Concerning these ensigns and ornaments many remarkable extravagances were reported and believed—how they had been received direct from the hands of the gods themselves, and how they were endowed with supernatural powers.
To the left of the temple of Tezcatlipoca was another of the same form and size, likewise filled with ornaments of inestimable value; the walls being hung and the altars covered with jewels and precious stones, placed on feathers of various colours. This temple was dedicated to Huitzilapochtli, or Tlaloch, the god of war.These two principal gods—of Providence and Battle—were esteemed brothers; and nothing was presumed to transpire without their mutual knowledge and approbation. The prayers and offerings of the priests were, as nearly as possible, equally divided between these two deities; not forgetting, also, a multitude of minor gods inhabiting separate temples, of peculiar, though somewhat conflicting, powers and attributes.
The goddess Teoyamiqui was a horrible colossal figure, hewn out of a solid block of basalt, nine feet high. It was a monstrous combination of the human form, the tiger, and the rattlesnake: large wreathed serpents supplied the place of arms to the figure; its feet were those of a tiger, with claws extended, in the act of seizing its prey; and between them lay the head of a rattlesnake, which appeared to descend from the body of the idol. Its adornments accorded with its frightful exterior: a large necklace composed of human hearts, hands, and skulls, was worn around it, fastened together with entrails, leaving the deformed breasts of the goddess only uncovered; and its drapery was composed of wreathed snakes with open mouths, interwoven in a horrible manner, the sides of the covering terminating in the wings of a vulture. Both the idol and the accessories forming its dress, were painted to represent natural colours, which greatly enhanced the impressive and terrific effect it was designed to have upon its worshippers.
The ancient city of Mexico could boast of eight large temples of splendid workmanship and great wealth; and those of a smaller size are said to have amounted to two thousand, and were dedicated to as many idols, of different kinds. The public streets were named after the various tutelar deities; and calamities and diseases of opposite natures had each their specified altars, at which the afflicted were directed to prostrate themselves with tortures and penances.
The religious and social institutions of the ancient Mexicans were thus founded in fear and horror; and to abolish atrocities such as those alluded to, in any country, by benevolent missions and intercommunications, must ever be regarded a blessing and a privilege.