30 May 2025 / 10 House
How did Mexica gods survive the Conquest?
In lots of ways! Some old gods and customs were disguised or hidden by the local people so they merged in with Christian beliefs. Take the ‘Day of the Dead’ festival, held in cemeteries at night...
Before the Spanish came, just about EVERYTHING the Aztecs did was watched over by a god or goddess, from lighting a fire at home in the morning to going to work - or to war.
Why? Because most things were seen as gifts from the gods: children, crops, medicine, crafts, the calendar, flowers, books and writing, poetry and music...
Some of the most important Mexica deities were creator gods, gods of food and the basics of life, and gods of nature. Here is Tlaloc, god of rain. Not surprisingly the Spanish saw him as ugly and as a threat...
The Spanish thought Aztec religion was just mumbo-jumbo, so they got physical - burning old books and building churches on top of old temples. Can you see Tlaloc among the gods being torched?
But trying to destroy a belief is like trying to grasp the wind in your hand! Local people carried on bringing offerings to church, but quietly gave only half to the Christian god - and half to the old gods who they still needed and who in some way kept their ancient knowledge stored within them: like gods of life-giving MAIZE...