Which religious practice of pre-Columbian Aztec civilization was shared with the Maya, Zapotec, and Nicarao people?
Human sacrifice in Aztec culture Human sacrifice was a religious practice of the pre-Columbian Aztec civilization, as well as other Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Maya and the Zapotec. The extent of such practices is debated by modern scholars, but scholars agree that human sacrifice was a major part of Aztec worship and that some human victims were cannibalized.
Tlaximaltepoztli The tlaximaltepoztli ("tlāximaltepōztli"; in Nahuatl, "tlaximal"=carpentry and "Tepoztli"=metal axe) or Tepoztli was a common weapon used by civilizations from Mesoamerica which was formed by a wooden haft in which the poll of the bronze head was inlaid in a hole in the haft. It was used for war or as a tool. Its use is documented by the Codex Mendoza and the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer. Tax collectors from the Aztec Empire demanded this kind of axe as tribute from the subjugated kingdoms. In Aztec Mythology the Tepoztli was used by the god Tepoztécatl, god of fermentation and fertility. In Codex Borgia he is represented with a bronze axe.