How were religion and war connected in the Aztec Empire?
Responses
War was considered the only way to determine who would be the next emperor of the Aztec Empire. - incorrect answer
The Aztecs believed they owed sacrifices to their gods, so they sometimes used war to gain captives for sacrifice. - correct answer
Gods told the Aztecs to fight their enemies and it led to them forming the Triple Alliance. - incorrect answer
The Aztecs had to continually fight wars because their gods would be unhappy if they did not. - incorrect answer
explain how you would get The Aztecs believed they owed sacrifices to their gods, so they sometimes used war to gain captives for sacrifice. As your answer
The connection between religion and war in the Aztec Empire can be explained by the belief system of the Aztecs. They believed that their gods required human sacrifices in order to maintain the balance of the universe and ensure the survival and prosperity of their civilization.
To fulfill this religious obligation, the Aztecs sometimes used war as a means to acquire captives who would be sacrificed to their gods. They saw warfare as a way to capture enemies and bring them back to their temples for ritual sacrifice. These sacrifices were seen as a way to repay the gods for their blessings and maintain a harmonious relationship with them.
In this way, religion and war were closely intertwined in the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs believed that the success and expansion of their empire relied on restoring the cosmic order through blood sacrifice. War became a means to achieve this religious obligation by providing captives for sacrifice and asserting their dominance over rival city-states.