The Aztec civilization was a very complex society that was feared and well known for its various bloody sacrifices made to please their many gods in their 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 then replaced by the Mexica, or Aztecs. According to the Aztecs, the land chosen to build their main city was chosen for the depiction of an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. Through military might, the Aztecs managed to become the most powerful civilization in the mid-14th century. They maintained their power through 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 maintain fear in their neighbors, using the method year-round to please the gods and ensure their survival. According to Aztec legend, the first world was created by a double god - meaning it was both female and 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, and also human characteristics (Benson 504). Before the present world, the Aztecs believed that four other worlds existed, all of which ended in a great catastrophe. After the end of the fourth world all the gods gathered in the main Aztec city, Teotihuacán, to discuss the creation of the fifth world. They chose two gods: one rich and healthy and one poor and sickly who would both throw themselves into the sacrificial fire. When they were sacrificed on the first dawn of... middle of paper... Although human sacrifices were a common occurrence at that time, the Aztecs' ritual and persistence in pleasing the god meant that the civilization was 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.” The First Civilizations in the Americas: Almanac Vol.2.Ed. Deborah J. Baker. Michigan: Farmington Hills, 501-527. Press. 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 the Aztec Sacrifices". Wilson Quarterly 2.4 (2000):110. Historical reference center. Network. March 24. 2014.