Who helped the Aztec’s worship and what did they do? Learning Objectives: 1) To understand the role of Aztec Priests 2) To understand why the Priests sacrificed people. Starter Activity: What is the role of a Priest? Use your own knowledge or an example from your own religion. Think: What jobs should a priest do and how could he look after his people?

Meet an Aztec Priest Your teacher has been turned into an Aztec Priest. This is your chance to ask them questions to learn about what an Aztec Priest might be like. You have two minutes to think of a question each that you can ask the Priest. Remember: You are trying to learn what an Aztec Priest’s job is!!

An Aztec Priest and Sacrifices Popcorn Reading An Aztec Priest and Sacrifices The Aztecs were very religious people who relied on the forces of nature. They believed that if they kept the God’s happy then they would be able to live happily. Their religion was so important to them that they had Priests to make sure that they were living how the God’s would like. The Priests were holy people and often had other jobs. For example they could be Doctors and Teachers. As priests, their main job was to sacrifice people because they were responsible in making the sun god happy. Human sacrifices were offerings to the sun and earth so that food would grow. The priests would dress up as the supreme gods and wait on the top of an extinct volcano. When the evening star reached the top of the sky, the priests would stretch the captive over an altar, or a special stone. Then the high priest would light a fire on the victim's heart and tear it out. After the heart is cut, the priest would hold the heart to the sun, then put it in a sacred dish. Most Aztec’s would be happy to be sacrificed as they would be helping the sun to come up and they would be sent to heaven.

Paragraph Writing Write a paragraph about what an Aztec Priest’s role is and how he helps people worship. Success Criteria: You must explain what an Aztec Priest’s role is, including the other jobs he does You must explain why he sacrifices people You must explain why Aztec’s thought their priests were so important Extension: Can you compare Aztec Priests to your religious leader?

Use this picture to create a story about what you have learnt about the Aztecs. Success Criteria: 1)You must explain briefly who the Aztecs were 2)You must explain the Aztec religion 3)You must explain what is happening in this picture. 4) You must explain why they sacrificed people Optional: 5) You might want to pretend that you are the priest and express how you would feel about doing this act.

Who would like to read their story? Plenary Who would like to read their story?