The Image Sacrifices In General History Of The Things Of New Spain By Friar Bernardino De Sahagún

Abstract

General History of the Things of New Spain by Friar Bernardino
de Sahagún, contains plentiful information about Aztec beliefs
and customs. Within this issue, human sacrifice is of deep concern,
distinguishing three different types of immolation. One of
these is the embodiment sacrifice, Nahuas’ rite in which Aztecs
believed that victims stopped being mortal selves, to become
the deities replics or images in whose honour the immolation
took place. Nevertheless, the sacrifice did not imply the god’s
death, but was part of a revitalising rite. This investigation
makes a systematic compilation and a thorough analysis of
General History excerpts, refering image sacrifice contrasted to
present bibliographical information, towards the establishment
of Sahagún’s depth for detecting prehispanic ideological elements.
On the other hand, I deeply scan the case of sacrificed
children to Tláloc, the god of rain, leading to the conclusion that
children immolations also constitute image sacrifices.

Keywords: Sahagún, Aztecs, human sacrifice, image sacrifices,
children sacrifice.