Ritual and Religious Civic: Mexica

Although the peoples of Mesoamerica are believed to have shared a basic worldview, their rituals doubtless varied considerably from one culture to the next and from one historical period to another. This article focuses on the Mexica (Aztecs), about whom we have the greatest amount of information. Mexica rulers presided over a highly hierarchical society and played a key role in religious affairs; indeed, in Mexica ritual life no distinction was made between the "civic" and "religious" spheres, although we should draw a distinction between those rituals that could be practiced by the general population and rituals that were the preserve of religious specialists. "Popular" rituals included such daily routines as offering food to the elements of earth and fire, or the daily chores of small children, who were required to sweep the patios of their homes each morning and place offerings and burn incense before household icons. Campesinos (peasants) left offerings of food and incense in their fields and granaries, a tradition that continues to this day in some parts of Mexico.

If rites of passage marking such key moments in the life cycle as birth, marriage, and death were largely family affairs, they were presided over by such ritual specialists as the tonaipouhque, who intimately knew the tonalpohualli, the 260-day calendar that was believed to govern individuals' lives (he also might have been responsible for curing illnesses believed to have been caused by loss of vital energy). When a child was born, the midwife conducted a ritual at sunrise, delivering an address to remind the child of her or his mission in life. If the child was a girl she was told to be a good housewife and given a small shuttle, spindle, and chest for household items; if the child was a boy he was told to be a great warrior and was given a small shield and four arrows. The midwife then washed the child and offered her or him to the gods of water and sun. Later on the parents would consult the tonalpouhque to ascertain the child's future and, if necessary, to dispel bad omens.