Today, tattoos are extremely popular in almost all countries of the world. But only a small part of people know that images on the body have a centuries-old history full of the most interesting facts. This is exactly what will be discussed in the article you are reading.
Information about the tattoo
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Aztecs treated tattoos on the body as something very sacred. Each symbol had its own unique meaning, ritual and tightly connected with religion. The function of these drawings was to express deep reverence for the most important deities of the tribe. For example, Huitzilopochtli, the lord of the sun and the guardian of the heavens, who has the greatest power, was often depicted in the form of a large blue face. According to Aztec mythology, the sun is a direct proof of the existence of an afterlife, such a tattoo was a sign of faith in this. Very often, a sharp dagger was depicted on the skin of people from the tribe, since it was with such devices that the heart was cut out for Aztec sacrifices. The god of war Tezcatlipoca was also never bypassed, as a tattoo he was depicted with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. The ferocious and powerful Quetzalcoatl - an extremely important figure in Aztec mythology - was drawn on the skin of many people, he always symbolized true wisdom and patronized creativity and various crafts.
However, this tribe chose not only some deities as tattoos, but also all sorts of objects and phenomena. The location of the drawing on the body is also very important: most often it was the stomach, chest and arms. According to the Aztec worldview, they are the main centers of accumulation of vital energy, so these places are worthy of such a fate. A lot of heavenly bodies were depicted, for example, the moon and stars, also interesting is the fact that calendars, warriors and eagles were drawn on the skin. It should be noted that the Aztec tattoos expressed not only a respectful attitude to the main deities, but also the social status of a person, his services to everyone, any achievements, such as military exploits.
