Tattoos since ancient times were considered a special work of art. Unlike drawings on paper or wood, they remained forever on the human body, becoming part of it. Among the tribes famous for their skillful mastery of tattoos, the Aztecs stood out in particular. The symbols and ornaments of the Aztecs adorned the bodies of priests, spiritual, political leaders and everyone who participated in their special rituals. Aztec tattoos are popular today, but many do not even suspect what meaning they have.
Masters
In the Aztec tribe, the most honorable and respected people knew how to apply tattoos. Everyone treated this matter with special scrupulousness, revealing a good knowledge of the matter. Aztec symbolism is known for its complexity. The drawings always contained many small details, colors, and also differed from all previous ones, thus becoming unique for their bearers.
Divine cult
MeaningAztec tattoos were closely associated with the divine cult. They had spiritual and ritual significance. For the Aztecs, who lived six hundred years ago, the main task of their whole life was to honor the gods. Tattoos were applied as a sign of obedience to higher beings.
The most important god of the Aztec pantheon was Huitzilopochtli, god of the sun, guardian of the heavens, giving life. He was depicted rather unusually, in the form of a blue face. The sun rose and set, and so every day in a circle. The Aztecs saw this as proof that death was followed by life again. The symbolism of the Aztecs did not end with the image of the deity alone. In the same tattoo, inscriptions in the picturesque Aztec language were used. As a rule, it was the name of the deity, as well as words praising him. Today, such a tattoo applied to the human body expresses faith in the afterlife.
Aztec tattoos: meaning
Another popular image in Aztec tattoos is the deity Tezcatlipoca. The god of warriors was once depicted on the skin of soldiers. Today, it is applied to the body to show one's courageous character, because such a tattoo indicates devotion, courage and fearlessness.
The symbolism of the Aztecs also contained the image of the god of creativity, weather, fertility and wisdom Quetzalcoatl. He was depicted as a winged serpent. This god affected all spheres of human life and therefore occupied a special place in the pantheon. The meaning of such a tattoo is easy to understand. It symbolizes the desire to enjoy every part of life, to gain success in absolutely any direction, notlimit yourself.
Choose application location
Only the symbolism of the Aztecs, applied to the body, is not fraught with special meaning. Symbolism must necessarily go side by side with the right choice of skin area. The Aztecs mainly chose arms, stomach and chest for tattoos. Being an energy center, these parts of the body helped direct the energy of the image in the right direction and bring good.
Not only adults, but also children were tattooed. Tattoos were applied for several more purposes - as an intimidation of enemies, special insignia to indicate a certain position in society. For example, warriors put swords and daggers on their hands, priests - magical signs.
Sun Stone
You can also often find a tattoo with the image of the Stone of the Sun. Many mistakenly consider it to be the Aztec calendar. Initially, it was a circle carved on a stone with symbols of a 20-day calendar. When people first discovered this image, they considered it an ordinary calendar, and only years later began to discover the true meaning of the Sun Stone. In particular, it contained information that four universes existed for a long time, they all died, and a fifth appeared, with life, the one in which we all live.
According to the inscriptions on the stone, the tribes of the Aztecs, Incas, Mayans believed that in the Fourth Era the mountains went under water, and the sky completely converged with the earth. It lasted all 52 springs. After there was a global flood and all people turned into fish. Beforedeath befell the Third Era. The end of it was a great fire that came to Earth from heaven. Many even believe that in this way these tribes tried to capture the fall of a meteorite to earth in myths. The second era ended with the transformation of people into monkeys, while all life on the planet was destroyed by terrible hurricanes. The very First Era was decimated by huge giants. Also probably it was about the Atlanteans. Our Fifth Era was created by the gods back in 986. According to the Aztecs, the end of this era will be the strongest earthquake in history.
Unfortunately, many people, when applying Aztec tattoos, do not even think about their meaning. Applying inscriptions in unfamiliar languages and unknown images on their bodies, they change their fate, bring something new into it. That is why special attention must be paid to the meaning of the tattoo before applying it.
