Ideology of Conquest
lThe third division had the gods of warfare and sacrifice, among them Huitzilopochtli, the tribal patron.
lHe became the paramount
deity and was identified with the
old sun god; he drew
strength from the sacrifice of human
lives.
lThe Aztecs expanded the existing Mesoamerican practice of human sacrifice to an unprecedented scale.
lSymbolism and ritual,
including ritual cannibalism,
accompanied the sacrifices.
