The Civilization of Ancient Aztec
The civilization of ancient Aztec had a perception of life and life after death which is extraordinarily different from the modern culture perspective. This perspective was primarily shaped by region and this infused every early Aztec life. Aztec refers to a native ethnic group which is lived to what is Mexico today. Also, it relates to people who spoke the language of Nahuatl who lived in Mesoamerica in the 14th -16th century. In Maya religion, death rituals were essential; they highly respected death. To the religious observances of most Mesoamerican culture burning incense was central, this was used in divination ceremonies, gods veneration and ancestral worship, the smoke represented clouds that brought rain and abundance in agriculture something which is still in practice even today. In Mesoamerican culture almost all the bodies of the dead were buried with maize in their mouth, this was because their loved ones wanted them to have food on the way to the other world still. In their mouths also currency in the form of stone beads, jades were placed. On the walls of the tombs and the bodies, the red color of death and rebirth was painted. In the earlier age the bodies were laid to rest in a position which was flexed, but in the later age, bodies were laid flat on their back something which is still practiced today. Cremation which is also practiced today was a favorite way to bury somebody. Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in North America. The thesis of this essay is to showcase how Mesoamerica defines a wide cultural area with great social and political complexities characterized by many cosmological ideologies, ritual activities, and religious ideas that relate to death and afterlife.
Belief in Life After Death
Life after death is a belief in Mesoamerica that the essential part of an individual's character or consciousness continues to live even after the end of the physical body. However, belief in afterlife contradicts to oblivion after the demise of an individual. According to past research, Mesoamerica is divided according to history into four periods that include; Preclassic, Classic, epiclassic and Postclassic. According to Mesoamerican history, death was more about an occasion that should not cause fear, ritual response, and mourning. Instead, death was perceived as a critical, creative and generative moment in a cosmic process. During the post-classic period, most contemporary people believed that the body of an individual held three souls. Also, each soul resided in a particular region which served a specific function in the body after the death of an individual. The three souls were teyolia, tonalli, and ihiyotl (Taube, 80). The three powerful groups in Mesoamerica were Mexica, Tarascan, and Maya and they believed when an individual died, he would go to heaven, under the earth or in waters. Also, the entrance for the dead into their respective destinations would be lagoons, caves and dark places located in specific areas on the planet. The three groups believed that the underground was the primary realm of the people who had passed away (Fitzsimmons, James, and Izumi,78)
Death Rituals and Burial Practices
During the pre-classic period, bodies of the dead were buried underpopulated places as an attempt to preserve forces of the deceased in the quiet place. The bodies of the dead would be accompanied by goods with different qualities (Fitzsimmons, James, & Shimada 17). In some instances, the remains of a dead dog would be buried next to the dead person. The rich were buried and offerings of different qualities offered. In other instances, the bodies would be covered with a green stone or red paint. The Maya culture would construct tombs for the rich and rulers and be also buried with the most precious objects. For example a ruler named Jaguar-Claw was buried in a tomb with two companions that included a woman wearing a headdress and a male child which was a treatment conducted to the elite in the society (Fitzsimmons, James and Izumi,79). One of the critical tombs was made for King Hanab Pakal, a Mesoamerican leader, in his coffin the skeletal remains remained with a jade mask with bead ornaments; it was enclosed by stucco and sculptures liberations that depicted the ruler’s changeover to theology and figures from Maya tradition. The pigment traces show that these were once painted colorfully common of much Maya sculpture at the time (Fitzsimmons, James, and Izumi,79)Today, for our leaders we not only built tombs, it is a tradition to build tombs now for our beloved people who pass away. We still practice the Maya like burial position, Cremation which is also practiced today was a popular way to bury somebody in the Maya culture. Bodies of the dead in the Maya culture were laid flat on their back something which is still practiced today.
Journey to the Afterlife
The Mesoamerica believed that an individual had to pass through nine areas to reach the final destination in the underground. The people believed that the first stop was the Chiconahuapan River and that a brown dog would await the deceased to assist his cross. After crossing the river, the dead would pass through an area where mountains crashed on each other (Taube, 75). At the place where the deceased would pass through a hill, they believed there was too much cold. During the funeral, the deceased would be buried with blankets which would help him pass through the stage. Some people also buried the deceased together with spears to help them fight wild animals that were believed to eat human hearts. During the underworld journey the spirits of the deceased contented with gods, creatures which were strange and gatekeepers to reach Osiris, the Hall of final judgment, to have an access of entry to the afterlife here they were to plead their cases. We still are burying our dead with objects that they liked because they will resuscitate (Fitzsimmons, James, and Izumi, 82)
Beliefs About the Afterlife
The people believed that the deceased continued to live even after death and the god of the underworld was a half-skeletal being who had hair that was curly and a nose that looked like a flint knife. The people who died for reasons related to water faced a different route and were believed to go to a place where there were abundance and fertility. The place was called Tlalocan and was ruled by the god of rain who was known as Tlaloc. Also, the people from Mesoamerica believed death that was caused by a lightning strike or drowning was not an accident, and it was the god of rain taking an individual through force. People who died through such means were buried directly to the soil like seeds, and once they reached Tlolacan, they would assist the deity who was believed to provide water for storms and harvests (Steele, 12).
Final Destinations
The house of the sun was believed to be the final destination for the people who died in wars. The deceased was considered to be illustrious, and their work involved fighting for the preservation of the universe. Also, those who died during wars would ensure the transit of the sun from the morning to noon. Women who died during childbirth would also travel to the house of sun where they would accompany the sun from noon to evening and later handle it to the lords of Mictlan (Taube, 69) Paradise of the Ceiba was believed to be the final destination for those who hang themselves. The place was thought to have a large tree where one would rest under its shade. The god of the underworld was worshipped and offerings made during death or times of illnesses. The god was believed to counteract the impacts of omens (Taube, 78).
Dia de Los Muertos
Dia de Los Muertos is a day in the Mesoamerica culture set to remember their loved ones who passed away. The day is celebrated in Mexico especially in the south and central regions (Steele 12). The day is used to gather friends and families and pray for the dead in their spiritual journey. Many faiths, whether they trust in soul’s survival in extra world such as Christianity, Islam and numerous pagan belief organizations or rebirth like many forms of Buddhism and Hinduism who say that a person's afterlife status is a punishment-reward for a person on how they conducted themselves during life (Fitzsimmons, James, and Izumi,85)
Conclusion
In Maya religion, death rituals were essential; they highly respected death. To the religious observances of most Mesoamerican culture burning incense was central, this was used in divination ceremonies, gods veneration and ancestral worship, the smoke represented clouds that brought rain and abundance in agriculture something which is still in practice even today. Life after death is a belief in Mesoamerica that the essential part of an individual's character or consciousness continues to live even after the end of the physical body. However, confidence in afterlife contradicts to oblivion after the demise of an individual.
Works Cited
Fitzsimmons, James L., and Izumi Shimada, eds. living with the dead: mortuary ritual in Mesoamerica. University of Arizona Press, 2017. 78-88
Steele, Richard L. "Dying, death, and bereavement among the Maya Indians of Mesoamerica: A study in anthropological psychology." American Psychologist 32.12 (2016): 1060.
Taube, Karl A. "Flower mountain: concepts of life, beauty, and paradise among the Classic Maya." RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics 45.1 (2014): 69-98.
