-
300
Pyramids of the Sun and Moon (300 B.C.)
Contruction for the pyramids of the sun and moon in Teotihuacan,
which were built for the gods, had begun during 300 B.C. Sources state that by the time Jesus was born, the entire city had already been built. -
400
Quetzalcoatl in Toltec Culture (B.C.)
Quetzalcoatl was the Toltec's main god. Like many other things in toltec culture, Quetzalcoatl has two representations, both oppsite of eachother. It represents the eagle and the serpent. Toltec legend says he is the creater of the world, corn, humans, and many other things. -
Jan 1, 700
Belief in a Single God in Toltec Culture (BC)
One of the main influences the Toltecs had on later civilizations was the beleif of one god who manifests into multiple forces and symbols called Poderios. Nature was known to be the face of this god and so it was a sacred thing. -
Jan 1, 1325
The Creation of Earth According to Aztec Religion
According to ancient Aztec religion, it took the gods 5 tries to create the world. These attempts were foiled because of infighting among the gods themselves. After he was knocked from his exalted position by rivals, the first creator, Tezcatlipoca, turned into a jaguar and destroyed the world. Under similar circumstances, the world was created and then destroyed with wind, and then two floods. -
Feb 1, 1325
Death and the Afterlife According to Aztec Religion
After death the soul of the Aztec went to one of three places: Tlalocan, Mictlan, and the sun. The Aztec idea of the afterlife for fallen warriors and women who died in childbirth was that their souls would be transformed into hummingbirds that would follow the sun on its journey through the sky. Souls of people who died from less glorious causes would go to Mictlan - place of the dead. Those who drowned would go to Tlalocan. -
Jan 1, 1500
The Juguar in Olmec Religion (B.C)
The Jaguar in Olmec culture was considered to be a type of cult animal. It was known to be a guardian for one's spirit. This was called a Nagual. -
Jun 30, 1520
The "Sad Night"
Monteczuma, the Aztec emperor, believed that Cortés was the god Quetzalcoatl returning from exile to take revenge. The "sad night" took place on the night of June 30th, 1520, during which Montezuma was killed while trying to calm his people. -
Jun 24, 1524
Spain Implementing Christian Practices
Missionaries begining with Franciscans aided the spanish by openening up the Indians soul and body to speed up the process of transculturation. They would teach the Aztec children to combat Indian religious beliefs and to spy on their elders and report them if htey continued with their old ways.Missionaries preached that salvation of soul was chirstianity so indians worshiped borth old and new religions. -
Jun 12, 1531
Zumarraga Wiping Out Indian Religion
Zumarraga bragged in a letter of destroying more than 500 temples and 20,000 idols. The spanish wanted to destroyed all books to erase Inidian religion.The clerics taught the catechisms in the native Indian language to give them a better understanding of the doctrine.They patterned their lives after Jesus Christ to further influence the adoption of christianity. -
Dec 9, 1531
Juan Diego & the Virgin Mary
Acording to a legend, Juan Diego, an indian convert, had a miraculous experience at a Indian holy site. He reported he had seen the embodiment of the Virgin Mary in a saintly, brown-skinned apparation. Since no one really bealived him, Juan Diego reutrned and the vision reappeared. This time he brought back evidence such as roses and the facial imprint of the Virgin on a shawl.Zumarraga, who played a role in the christanization, recognized this and since began the "Virgen de Guadalupe cult".
