The Aztec civilization was a very complex society that was feared and well known for its various blood sacrifices performed to please its many gods in its polytheistic religion. The much-feared civilization began with the exile of one of the two Toltec leaders, which led to the decline of the Toltec state which was later replaced by the Mexicas, or Aztecs. According to the Aztecs, the land chosen to build their main city was chosen by the representation of an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. Thanks to their military might, the Aztecs managed to become the most powerful civilization by the mid-14th century. They maintained their power through their military might and the fear they caused other civilizations due to the human sacrifices they performed on their captured victims. In the mid-14th century, the Aztecs used the method of human sacrifice to foster fear among their neighbors by using this method year-round to please the gods and ensure their survival. According to Aztec legend, the first world was created by a dual god. - meaning it was both a female and a male, called Ometeotl. The Aztec pantheon included hundreds of gods, all originating from Ometeotl himself. The Aztecs also believed that the gods represented the forces of nature, such as rain, as well as human characteristics (Benson 504). Before the present world, the Aztecs believed that there were four other worlds, all of which ended in a major catastrophe. After the end of the fourth world, all the gods gathered in the Aztecs' main city, or Teotihuacán, to discuss the creation of the fifth world. They chose two gods: a rich and healthy god and a poor and sick god who would both jump into the sacrificial fire. When they were sacrificed at the first sunrise of...... middle of paper ....... Although human sacrifices were commonplace at the time, the ritual and perseverance of the Aztecs to please the god made the civilization be known as the bloodiest civilization in Central America in the 14th century. Works Cited “Aztec Human Sacrifices.” Myths of Latin America. March 24, 2014Edu/LA260/Aztecs.htm>Benson, Sonia. “Aztec religion. Culture and daily life. First Civilizations of the Americas: Almanac Vol.2.Ed. Deborah J. Baker. Michigan: Farmington Hills, 501-527.Print.Callery, Sean. The dark history of the Aztec empire. New York: Marshall CavendishBenchmark, 2011.Print.Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Scholars Woodrow Wilson InternationalCenter for. “The Mystery of Aztec Sacrifices.” Wilson Quarterly 2.4 (2000):110. Historical reference center. Internet. March 24. 2014.