Magliabecchiano Codex
Aztec, mid 16th century
Codices were made in the early Spanish colonial period to record
all aspects of the daily lives of the Aztec civilisation. This
drawing shows the priest offering the sacrificial heart to the sun
god. The victims’ bodies were thrown over the side of the temple
terrace, and were collected at the bottom. Victims of human
sacrifice were often prisoners of war. As Aztec society
became increasingly militarised, the number of human sacrifices
escalated.