The Aztecs were a tribe that lived from the 13th to the 16th century in and around the area that is now called Mexico. Religion and the many gods were very important in the Aztec culture , a lot of the daily life of the Aztecs was meant to honor and please the gods.
Tattooing played an important role in the Aztec culture though, even children were tattooed.
The ancient Aztec tattoo designs were rather rudimentary, and were not only designed to decorate the body, but for a variety of reasons:
- Aztec tribal tattoos were done during rituals and always in honor of a specific god.
- Tattoo designs were used to differentiate between the different tribes.
- Aztec tattoo designs were used to mark a person’s status, to show a warrior's rank and accomplishments.
There are several tattoo designs that we commonly see with regard to Aztec and Mexican tattoos:
- Many Aztec tattoo designs involve the sun in one way or another. Sun tattoos were in honor of Huitzilopochtili, the Aztec sun god. The sun was very important to the Aztec people, it was the
guardian of the heavens. That's why today, an Aztec sun tattoo symbolizes belief in an afterlife. - Quetzalcoatl – the feathered serpent god of ancient Mexico – has also been adapted to Mexican tattooing. Quetzalcoatl, the god of weather, creativity and fertility, was the most powerful of all Aztec gods.
- Tezcatlipoca, the god of warriors.
- The Aztec calendar is a nice design for a tribal tattoo. Here's a video of an Aztec calendar tattoo in the works:
- Eagle: Aztec warriors drew strength from the eagle.
- Other Aztec tattoos that are popular today are cross tattoos and sun & moon tattoos.
Nowadays people are interested in Aztec tribal tattoos