Even if the Aztecs Even if the Aztecs knew the 365 days continuing year, their calendar differed from all specified so far. In 1760 in Mexico City was found a round calendar stone (1.20 meters high, 22 tons heavy and with a diameter of 3,65 m). The stone, which is today in a museum,has an even surface, on which different symbols and hieroglyphics are to be seen. In the center is the round face of their God of the Sun Tonatiuh and around this internal set are several rings. In the first ring four important symbols are shown: jaguar, a tornado , volcanoes and severe rains. The stone stands not only for the beginning of the world, but also for its end. Each of these four symbols stands for the destruction of one of the four preceding worlds, or suns, as the Aztecs called them. They believed that they lived in the fifth and last age. The forecast actually fulfilled itself with the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
The Aztecs had a special type of respect for their God of the Sun. If a worrier had ascended after delivery of his fourth prisoner into a higher rank, he got the opportunity to serve the God of the Sun as an eagle or jaguar worrier. These elite troops took up both aristocrat and simple citizens to their series, but there were differences in the privileges.The aristocrats were released e.g. from controls and tribute payments,they were allowed to have concubines, to eat human meat and to dine in the royal palace. The ordinary citizen received a piece of land and his children inherited his social status.
The Maya built a temple, which looked like an observatory. The windows were aligned to the motion of the sun so that the stars admired as Gods showed up on certain days in these openings, in order to insure to humans their favor. For the Maya the lightradiating Venus, which comes up before the sun and goes down after it, was a twin of the sun and a war divinity. They had already developed a calendar between 300 BC. and 250 AC. , which they put on stone boards. By observations of the sun, Venus and the moon they calculated the sun year (365 days), the moon month (up to 23 seconds exactly) and the Venus cycle (584 days). They observed also Moon and Solar Eclipsesand the priests could even forecast them,, whereas the remaining peopleregarded it as a " mysterious wonder ". The Maya developed specialfacilities, which represented these eclipses.
The Incas in Peru made similar observations. On the Machu Picchu is a temple with a semicircular tower. Through its trapezoidal window the priests could observe the course of the sun to the winter sun solstice . Naturally the Incas had also a God of the Sun, whom they called Into and developed a real cult about him. The kings of this people had the title " son of Into ". On his city area was " intihuatana ", a large stone, at which the Inca prayed to the God of the Sun. The name of the stone reads translated: " stone, at which the sun is lashed ".Most probably the priests observed the sun on certain days of the year.Since the stone is larger than humans at that time were, the sun could disappear directly behind it or come up just as well e.g. on the day of the winter sun solstice, which was a very important holiday for the Incas.
The God of the Sun had even his own fields in the land of the Incas, which was taken from the ordinary peasants or from the peasants.
Probably this cult was the cause for the formation of a union of women, who called themselves "Mamacuna " (the Spaniards called them " virgins of the sun"). Chosen women were married in a ceremony to the God of the Sun. Afterwards they were sent as priests inside into the temples of the realm, where they celebrated rites and prepared meals, which were used as offerings. They were very much admired by the people, particularly because they were the wives of the God of the Sun. They were subjected to strict rules to remain virgins and those who did not abide by it were punished with death. But, in spite of that, it could also happen that the " Mamacuna "was killed during a cult action as a victim for Inti. In addition, Inti received offerings who were children. The priests selected the prettiest children for Inti, which was a large honor for their parents . Then the children were led into the cold heights of the Ands, where a small grave chamber awaited them. The children were first anaesthetized and buried afterwards alive.
The entwinement of church and state determined life. The people confessed their sins to the Inca Priests, whereas the monarch confessed his sins only to Inti.
