Aztec tattoos symbolism
In ancient times, many different tribes expressed their culture through the art of tattoo.
Aztec tattoos are famous by their comprehensive drawings, and the diversity. Some of the pictures and total depiction movements were sacred for Aztecs.
Art always played a major role in Aztec tribes life. For example, since childhood children and women studied the fictile arts.
Most of the Aztec tattoos had a religious, spiritual, or sacral meaning. About 600 year ago, the worship of gods was the primary mission of Aztecs everyday life.
A great difference stands Aztec tattoos out of others. This tattoos played an important role in Aztec culture, and they used these symbols during various rituals as well. Aztec tattoos were created to worship Aztec deities.
Their supreme deity was sun god Huitzilopochtli -the giving life eye of heaven. He was depicted as a blue face. Sunrises and sunsets were connected to some kind of life after death provement. Besides the sun image, the picturesque Aztec language signs symbolizing the sun, moon and planets could be used in the tattoos. Nowadays, the Aztec sun tattoo might symbolize the life beyond the tomb belief.
The Aztec dagger that used to cut out a beating heart in order to sacrifice it to the sun god, is another theme of modern Latin-American tattoos. Warrior god Tezcatlipoca is a very popular drawing of Aztec tattoos. He is often pictured with his tongue put out. Anciently, the Maory warriors inked this tattoo.
Both Aztecs and Maya worshiped the winged snake-god Quetzalcoatl. As a god of creativity, fertility, and weather, he was a symbol if ancient wisdom as well. Nowadays his image inkings are one of the most popular Aztec tattoos. Quetzalcoatl was one of the main Aztec deities. He affected all the aspects of life.
For almost two thousand years, the Feathered Snake-god played an important role in art and religion of most of Latin-American countries.
Besides the god worship tattoos, some drawings showed the position in tribe, and life achievements as well.
The success in life and in battles depended on gods, thus every man had to show their devotion. The tattoos were reasonably located. At most, arms, chest, and belly were inked. These places were supposed to be the energy center of the organism.
Eagles, warriors, princesses, and the Aztec calendar were the popular symbols of Aztec culture as well. Apart from the sun design, Aztecs used to ink themselves with moon and stars drawings that are still popular today.
Both, grown-ups and children were tattooed.
Nowadays, many people ink the Aztec tattoos due to their visual allure.
The traditional Aztec tattoos were colorful and stylish, just like many other Aztec works of art. The Aztec architecture, sculpture, and textile often shows the high level of their cultural development. Their sophisticated culture influenced the comprehensive tattoo drawings that take rather long time to be inked.