In Aztec beliefs, why was human sacrifice performed?

In Aztec beliefs, human sacrifice was primarily performed to appease the sun and ensure its rise. The Aztecs had a strong cosmological understanding in which they believed that the sun, represented by the deity Huitzilopochtli, needed nourishment to continue its journey across the sky. They thought that without regular offerings of blood and life, the sun would weaken and potentially cease to rise, plunging the world into darkness.

This practice was deeply intertwined with their views on the cyclical nature of life and death and the need to maintain balance within the cosmos. Sacrifices were seen as essential rituals to sustain the gods, who, in turn, granted the essential forces of life in return, such as sunlight and, by extension, agricultural fertility. Therefore, the Aztecs believed that through these sacrifices, they were playing a vital role in the universe's ongoing cycle, ensuring not just favorable conditions for agriculture but the very continuation of life itself.