Primal Religion:Aztec and Mayan

Location 

Mexico

Cosmological View.
The future as a very important thing and uses human sacrifices to please the sun.The Aztecs linked the human condition to cosmology. The human body, mainly the head and heart, were regarded as nourishment for the sun and cosmos.

Sacred Symbols 

• Pyramids:The Mayans made their pyramids in similar ways but were made for different reasons. The first pyramid was made so that the priests could make their sacrifices to the gods and the second pyramid was built to a god
• Calendars: The Mayans have two types of calendars; a religious and a solar calendar. The Aztecs also had two different calendar; one fore tracking religious ceremonies and festivals, and the other was used to track time.
• Writings:The Mayans used a system  of writing called hieroglyphics which was similar to what the ancient Egyptians used but different at the same time. The aztecs wrote using pictographs since they didn't  have an alphabet.

Sacred Locations
Teotihuacan is sacred because its identified to be the origin of the entire cosmos. The pyramids are also sacred because they were built basically for the gods that they worshiped.
 Important gods

Aztecs:

• Huitzilopochtli - The most fearsome and powerful of the Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli was the god of war, the sun, and sacrifice. He was also the patron god of the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan. The Great Temple in the center of the city was built in honor of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. His name is thought to mean "left-handed hummingbird". He was often drawn with feathers and holding a scepter made from a snake.

• Tlaloc - Tlaloc was the god of rain and water. While Tlaloc helped the Aztecs much of the time by sending rain and causing plants to grow, he also could get angry and send thunder storms and hail. Tlaloc was worshiped at the Great Temple in the city of Tenochtitlan and also at the top of a tall mountain named Mount Tlaloc. He was often drawn with fangs and big goggle-like eyes.



• Quetzalcoatl - Quetzalcoatl was the god of life and wind. His name means "feathered serpent" and he was usually drawn as a serpent which could fly, very much like a dragon. When Cortez first arrived at the Aztecs, many thought that he was the god Quetzalcoatl in human flesh.



• Tezcatlipoca - Tezcatlipoca was a powerful god associated with many things including magic, the night, and the earth. He was a rival god to Quetzalcoatl. According to Aztec mythology, he was the first god to create the sun and the earth, but was struck down by Quetzalcoatl and turned into a jaguar. There was a large temple built to him in the city of Tenochtitlan just south of the Great Temple. His name meant "smoking mirror".



• Chicomecoatl - Chicomecoatl was the Aztec goddess of agriculture, nourishment, and corn. She was often drawn as a young girl carrying flowers or a woman using the sun as a shield. Her name meant "seven snakes".

Mayans:

• Itzamna - The most important Maya god was Itzamna. Itzamna was the god of fire who created the Earth. He was ruler of heaven as well as day and night. The Maya believed that he gave them thecalendar and writing. It is thought that his name means "lizard house". 
• Kukulcan - Kukulkan was a powerful snake god whose name means "feathered serpent". He was the primary god of the Itza people in the latter part of the Maya civilization. He is often drawn to look like a dragon. 
• Bolon Tzacab - Also known by the name Huracan (similar to our word for hurricane), Bolon Tzacab was the god of storms, wind, and fire. Maya mythology said that he caused a great flood to come when the Maya angered the gods. His name means "one leg". 
• Chaac - Chaac was the god of rain and lightning. He had a lighting axe that he used to strike the clouds and produce rain and storms. 

Totems, Fetishes, and Taboos?
The Mayans had animal totems. The aztecs used knives and bodies as fetishes.
Shamans
To the Mayans, the shaman is able to bridge into the other world and bring forth the magic power of that world
 Rituals.

1. Human Sacrifices: The heart was offered to the nourishment of the sun and the head was offered to the sky. Sacrifices were done at least once every 20 days.
2. The Priests: Priests were used to perform the rituals to keep people in the favor of the gods. They would predict the future, work miracles, build tabernacles,etc.

Sources:
http://www.mayanshamanism.com/about.html
http://web.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/ancient_religion/pages/mayan_center.html
http://www.ducksters.com/history/maya/pyramids_and_architecture.php