According to the mythology of the Aztec Civilization, in the time before creation, the gods gathered before a fire. The god Huitzilopochtli sacrificed himself by leaping into the flames, immolating himself to become the sun, and thus began the age of humanity.
Huitzilopochtli was the sun god, and also the god of war.
The Aztecs believed that every time the sun set, the sun god died. Blood and the heart were the most precious parts of a person, which they called the "eagle-cactus pear." Only through the sacrifice of blood and hearts could the sun god be revived, allowing the sun to rise each day.
During the ritual, the sacrificial victim would be taken to the top of a pyramid-shaped Temple and laid upon a sacrificial stone. Four people would hold their limbs, stretching them out completely.
