Due to this, the city grew in population and culture, because the Aztecs would take on the gods and culture of the tribes they conquered. Many kings followed Moctezuma I, until Moctezuma II took the throne in 1502. Even after a half-century of successful growth and conquest, culture and society began to suffer disaster under him. Moctezuma II "s reign was ended by the invasion of Cortez in 1519.
Religion was very important in Aztec life. The Tenochcas worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses. Each one ruled one or more human activities or aspects of nature. The worshipping of so many gods was due to the fact that the Mexica would worship the gods of the people they conquered. One of the most known gods was Quetzacoatl, the plumed-feathered serpent. He was the god of civilization and learning. Huitzilopochtli, the war and sun god and special guardian of Tenochtitlan, had a temple on the main pyramid where victim's heads were hung as trophies on a great rack, the Tzompantli. Tezcatlipoca, chief god of the Aztecs, was the most powerful, supreme deity, and also the god of night and sorcery. Ometecuhlti and his wife Omecihuatl created all life in the world. Other gods were Mictlantecuhtle, god of the dead; Tlaloc, god of rain; Xiuhtecuhtle, the fire god; Xipe Totec, god of springtime and regrowth. .
Human sacrifice was a major part of the Aztecs religion. This was done throughout .
the Mesoamerican world, but never done in such an enormous number as the Aztecs did. In the Mayan religion, priest would nourish the gods by piercing their tongues, ears extremities, or genitals. The also prayed offered food, sports, and even dramas. The Aztecs did all of the same and also bloodletting. They also believed that the gods were best nourished by the living hearts of sacrificed captives. The braver the captive the more the more nourishing the sacrifice was. This led to widespread wars of conquest in search of sacrificial victims, both captured in war and paid as tribute by conquered people.
