THE A.ZTECS 211 



The under world is Miction, the Place of the Dead. 

 Nine divisions are commonly given and in the lower- 

 most of these lives Mictlanteuctli, the Lord of Death, 

 and his mate. The idea of future blessing or punish- 

 ment is not entirely absent from the minds of the 

 Aztecs. Warriors killed in battle go to the House of the 

 Sun, in one of the upper worlds, as do women who die 

 in childbirth. Tlalocan, the lowermost heaven, is a 

 sort of terrestrial paradise for others. Mictlan is, 

 however, the common abode of the dead, and the 

 wretched soul can reach it only after a journey set with 

 horrors. 



The cult of the quarters is intimately associated with 

 the concept of the universe. With the four cardinal 

 points a number of others are sometimes taken includ- 

 ing the zenith, the nadir, and the middle. The sacred 

 numbers 4. 5, 6, and 7 may thus conceivably be derived 

 from the points of space, but it would be very unsafe 

 to a>sume that they are necessarily so derived. The 

 general concept of a universe divided into quarters, 

 fifths, or sixths is a powerful conventionalizing factor 

 in mythology, religion, and art. Prayers, songs, and 

 important acts are repeated in identical or in system- 

 atically varied form for each point of space. In 

 Mayan and Aztecan codices the symbolism of the 

 four directions is often manifest. 



Ceremonies. Ceremonialism was intensely devel- 

 oped in Mexico and the dramatic quality of many 

 Aztecan rites of human sacrifice has probably never 

 been equaled. We are apt to think only of the grue- 

 90me features of human sacrifice and to overlook the 

 spiritual one-. The victim was often regarded as a 

 personification of a god and as such he was feted, 

 clothed in fine garments, and given every honor. 



