What Are Aztec Tribal Tattoos?

Mexican gangs today have been known to don different types of tattoos that depict their loyalty to a particular gang or clan. The tattoos that they wear usually depict a skull with additional decorations and coloring.

Aside from the gangs, tattoos have been very popular in Mexico due to their many colors, styles and designs. Due to their popularity, there are different types of Mexican inspired tattoos that are out in the market today. Most of them were inspired by the ancient civilization of the Incas, Mayans and the Aztecs. The Aztec tribal tattoos are the most common among the ancient civilization in South America that are being inspired in creating different tattoo design in modern times especially in Mexico.

The Aztecs were a civilization that had lived around the 13th century up to the 16th century. They are rich in culture and their history is one that is awe-inspiring. Their religion is very much connected with their way of life that it makes religion the most important part of an Aztec's life. A particular god is being worshipped for a particular reason, be it for health, war, protection, wealth, or fertility. Each god would be represented with a certain symbol and the Aztecs would sculpt images and icons for them to worship at.

The Aztec tribal tattoos are not only being done for decorative purposes but it also holds various reasons, most of which involve their religious practice. Even children who have not reached adolescent were given tattoos. For the Aztecs, a tattoo is a symbol to differentiate the different tribes or clans living in the city. The tattoos were also used to mark a person's status in the society.

There are different tattoo designs for different types of social classes. Not only that these tattoos were also used to differentiate an Aztec's livelihood. There's a different tattoo for the warrior and another kind of tattoo for the priests and scholars.

But the Aztec tribal tattoos that are still alive until the present are the tattoos that were used for rituals, specifically for the ones that would pertain to a specific Aztec deity. These are the tattoo designs that have a very deep meaning to the Aztecs as they are being used for different rituals and rites of passage in their lives.

The most common Aztec deity that is being used as a tattoo is the sun god Huitzilopochtili. The sun is very important to the Aztecs and the sun god is also being worshipped as the god of the afterlife. The feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, is known to be the most powerful deity among the gods of the Aztec. He is the god of weather, creativity and fertility. The warrior god Tezcatlipoca, was the god that the Aztec warriors pay tribute to. They don the symbol of Tezcatlipoca as a protection during war against enemy tribes.

Aside from the gods, there are other symbols of the Aztec tribal tattoos that are being used to day. Like the eagle which is said to give strength to the Aztec warriors for them to fight longer during war.

Today, the Aztec tribal tattoos are one of the most popular tattoo designs that people would love to have. Even though the artistry is more rudimentary compared to other tribal tattoos that are curvier and spirally in nature, people who asked to have an Aztec tribal tattoo usually do so to give respect to a once great civilization or have found their ancestry dating back to these great people.

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