Mesoamerica is the ancient land bridge between what would later become North and South America, including much of Mexico down through the top part of South America. Today it comprises the countries of Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (ôMap of Mesoamericaö). This region was the birthplace of a number of Pre-Columbian cultures, including the Mayans and Aztecs. These two ancient peoples existed at approximately the same time, the 14th through 16th centuries, but were characterized by their views of the universe, which were similar in many respects. Human sacrifice was one of the shared concepts between the Mayans and Aztecs, whose religions both invited human action as a means of keeping the cosmos in balance (Callahan).
Both the Mayans and the Aztecs thought of the universe as centered on the earth and divided into a number of cosmic directions. For the Mayans, there were six cosmic directions. The four quarters of space were north, south, east, and west, and these were associated with colors (Fig. 1, ôAztecs and Mayas religionö). The three cosmic layers were heaven above, the underworld below, and the earth at the center. For the Aztecs, there were five cosmic directions (which included the center), with 13 tiers above the earth and 9 below (Callahan).
The combination of space and color bore a relationship to time, which was closely connected with the cosmic forces, i.e., the gods. The Aztecs and Mayans believed that the universe and life on earth were controlled by a combination of direction, time, and gods (ôAztecs and Mayas religionö). They saw the universe as peopled with a complex array of deities to whom they offered both worship and human sacrifices. Rulers were considered to be descendants of the gods, and their bloodùobtained through bloodletting or murder intended to appease the godsùwas the ideal sacrifice (Criscenzo). The relationship between the people and their gods was seen as...