Aztec Tattoos: Flash Images & Meanings
If you are looking for Aztec tattoo ideas, this is the place to see the best of them. There are several pictures and detailed meaning behind each one so you can learn and see which one you want for yourself.
Aztec Tattoos:
In this article, you will see pictures of some of the best Aztec tattoo ideas that there are. You will also learn some interesting information behind each one of them and the meaning of each piece of art.
Now, let’s see some of the best Aztec tattoo ideas and a little bit of information about each one of them!
Traditional Aztec Tribal Tattoo:
This is a traditional style tattoo of an ancient Aztec person, complete with body, modification, piercings, and a headdress. The Aztec people were known to pierce their ears, lips and noses as a sign of coming into adulthood. They also partook in tattooing, branding, and scarification. While branding and tattooing may be more widely known, scarification may not be. The Aztec people would take a stingray spine and intentionally cut their selves in order to cause scarring across the body in a designed fashion.
The Aztec peoples head dresses were made of extravagant feather work, and we’re called Moctezuma’s headdresses. It was a tradition to wear these head dresses for military reasons and intimidation.
Attacking Aztec Warrior Tattoo:
The weapon depicted in this tattoos design is called a “Macuahuitl”. This is a Nahuati word for “Hand-wood” and had a handmade cutting edge on each side made from obsidian. Obsidian is volcanic glass that is extremely sharp and was a rock found in ancient Central Mexico and used by the Aztec people in many aspects of life.
This specific weapon has been used in history from around 900 B.C. to around 1,600 B.C. This tattoo represents the warrior spirit of the Aztec people and is surely one of the best Aztec tattoo ideas out there.
Ouroboros Tattoo:
This tattoo design has tremendous meaning from the ancient Aztec people’s beliefs and religion. The creature depicted in this tattoo design is called “Ouroboros” aka “Uroboros”. It is an image of a dragon consuming its own tail.
This dragon, or snake, often represents the never ending cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This is to symbolize fertility and renewal. This designs meanings are numerous, but the one that stands out the most is that of fertility and new life. If you are expecting a new little warrior to your family, this Aztec tattoo design is for you.
Aztec Pyramid Tattoo:
This is one of the better Aztec tattoo designs. The architecture found to be from the Aztec civilization were fortresses, temples, and homes. Among these, temples of religious intent were used in order to perform blood sacrifices to the gods. These rituals would often take place at the top of these pyramids, because that was considered to be the location that was the closest to the Gods.
The Aztecs, and their ideas about religion and blood sacrifices, may provide you with a meaningful and macabre tattoo idea and design.
Quetzalcoatl Tattoo:
This is one of the more meaningful and best Aztec tattoos, because the Aztecs believed in this God to be their main protector. Quetzalcoatl is a god from the ancient Aztec people that came in the form of a winged, and feathered, serpent. This God was associated with wind, the Sun, art, intelligence, and Venus. This Aztec God was the God of life as well as light and wisdom.
If you are looking for tattoo designs and tattoo ideas from the Aztecan culture, this is one of the most meaningful options that you can find.
Quetzalcoatl had a twin by the name of Xolotl, which may be another really amazing tattoo to go searching for on Pinterest.
Common Aztec Jaguar Knight Tattoo:
These military individuals were parts of the elite levels of military forces within the ancient Aztec civilization. They are called Jaguar Knights or Jaguar Warriors. They were called “cuauhocelotl” in their native language, and there were generally two types of these warriors found in the ranks.
Those with feathers on their headdresses were of noble background, and those without any feathers were commoners within the population of Aztec people. Jaguars were not the only skins that the Aztec warriors wore, but it was a very prominent skin used.
The Jaguar was an important figure in the Aztec beliefs and religion as it was meant to represent the Aztec God of conflict called “Tezcatlipoca”. They thought that the skin of this animal being worn into battle would transfer its strength and speed into them for war.
In order to be one of these Jaguar warriors, an individual had to capture and collect 4 different enemy soldiers from battle in order to bring them back and sacrifice them to the Gods.
Aztec Calendar Tattoo:
Many people with recognize this tattoo idea, as 2012 was said to be the end of the Aztec calendar. This was said to be the supposed end of the world due to this ancient civilization having no further dates on its calendar than this year.
This was a sun stone called the “tonalpohualli” and had a 260 day total that followed a cyclical path. The 260 days were split up into 20 different 13-day periods called “trecena”. Each one of these trecena had its own name and God associated with it.
Among these deities were Quetzalcoatl for the Jaguar trecena, his twin brother Xolotl for the Vulture trecena, and some others listed in a table below.
| Aztec Gods and their Trecena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trecena |
God |
|---|---|
| Crocodile |
Tonacatecuhtli |
| Jaguar |
Quetzalcoatl |
| Deer |
Tepēyōllōtl |
| Flower |
Huēhuecoyōtl |
| Reed |
Chalchiuhtlicue |
| Death |
Tōnatiuh |
| Rain |
Tlāloc |
| Grass |
Mayahuel |
| Snake |
Xiuhtecuhtli |
| Flint |
Mictlāntēcutli |
| Monkey |
Patecatl |
| Lizard |
Itztlacoliuhqui |
| Quake |
Tlazōlteōtl |
| Dog |
Xīpe Totēc |
| House |
Ītzpāpālōtl |
| Vulture |
Xolotl |
| Water |
Chalchiuhtotolin |
| Wind |
Chantico |
| Eagle |
Xōchiquetzal |
| Rabbit |
Xiuhtecuhtli |
Other Aztec Art & Inspiration:
Mictlāntēcutli - Aztec God of Death
This God was known to be over 6 feet tall and have the appearance of a blood covered skeleton.
Worship of this God often consisted of the ritualistic consumption of human flesh. Cannibalism is how the Aztec people worshipped this god at their giant religious temples…
Xiuhtecuhtli - Aztec God of Fire
This is the Aztec God of Fire. He is said to be the deity of the day and heat, and was the father of the gods.
His home was in the center of the Earth and he was encapsulated in a turquoise containment in order to be kept alive forever. He was also the god of time.
Aztec God of Death Tattoo
Mictlāntēcutli, as visited above, would a great tattoo idea, and some artwork like this would fit perfectly into a sleeve. If you have a good artist that can do the detailing and shadow work, this would be a great addition.
Recap & Summary:
You got to see some of the best Aztec tattoo ideas and designs around, and also learned some helpful information about each one of them. It is important to find meaning in each piece of artwork that you place on your body forever, so learning these things and sparking your interest to learn even more about them will help you find the perfect one fit for you specifically.
In future articles we will be looking at these topics:
Aztec God of Death Tattoo
Aztec God of Fire
Hopefully you enjoyed this article and seeing/learning about these Aztec tattoo design ideas helped you in choosing your new tattoo. If you did like this, and you want to see more just like it, you can find a lot more right HERE on our website.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this article! : )