The Human Body in Relation to the Cosmos

Barbara Tucker
02/27/2012
LTNS 475

The Human Body in Relation to the Cosmos

In today's world, humans live a very fast paced life in the sense that we enjoy the luxury of cars to drive us places quickly, fast and easy access to everyday needs such as clothes, food, and water, even the way we communicate with each other is instantaneous through the use of email or text messages. In such a high speed society there is little time to think about anything beyond the physical world we live in, which is such a shame because we wander through life without a sense of purpose. This was not the case for the ancient civilization of the Aztecs. The Aztecs were a very spiritual people who believed there was order and meaning to the universe. We see this clearly in their everyday life where they practiced detailed rituals honoring their Gods, and perhaps most impressive of all is that every member contributed and participated in these ceremonies because they themselves felt connected to something greater. One might look at these rituals of sacrifice and think, “Oh my god, this is horrible”. However, it all ties in with how the Aztecs viewed the world and goes much deeper with their connection to the universe. Carrasco explains this connection the Aztecs had to the universe in his chapter “The Human Body As A Cosmos”. I will attempt to analyze what Carrasco has said, and the importance of it in regards to the Aztecs.
The way Carrasco explains how the Aztecs viewed their bodies is in relation to how universe works. In earlier chapters we learn about the creation of the universe with the five Gods sacrificing themselves so there could be a sun, what is important to note about this is that this sacrifice goes both ways. The Aztecs in turn have to make blood sacrifices so that they can provide the sun with “divine energy”, so we already see an established relationship between the people and the Gods.   Also it is important to remember Fire God Xiuhtecuhtli was at the center of...