The ancient religion of the Mexican Aztecs was a complex interaction between the gods and their followers through human sacrifices, rituals, and core beliefs. The fall of the Toltec civilization allowed the Aztec religion to form and flourish in the 14th and 15th centuries. They believed that the gods were powerful enough to influence everyone from the emperor to the slaves. Huitzilopochtli was the tribal sun god and god of war, without whom no life would exist on earth. Although often influenced by surrounding cultures, Aztec rituals and beliefs shaped and gave meaning to the lives of their followers. One of the main beliefs of the Aztec religion concerned the origins of the universe. Aztec followers believed that their city, Tenochtitlan, was the place where the forces of heaven and the underworld were connected, a similar idea which is represented by the "World Tree". The heavens of their religion were divided into 13 levels, with Ometeotl, the supreme creator, living in the 2 highest levels. As the World Tree suggests, their city was connected by its roots to the underworld, which in the Aztec religion consisted of 9 levels of Michtlan. Their belief in a supernatural dimension beyond their human experience meant that the gods were responsible for the creation of the Aztec world and provided a moral framework for their lives. The Aztecs believed in the myth of the Four Past Worlds, in which the four sons of Ometeotl were tasked with creating the world and humans living in it. The sons created, fought, and violently destroyed each other's worlds until the new Earth and Sun were born. The two gods, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcotl, encountered a large earth monster Tlaltecuhtli and killed her, threw her tail into the sky to make the middle of the paper......just as the world's pattern. The tree implies that the connection between the gods, sacrifices, and Aztec society was of great importance, uniting them all. It was through these rituals and traditions that they were able to interact with the gods and goddesses in the heavens. As religion played an important role in their way of life, this reinforces the idea that the Aztec cultural belief system helped followers find purpose and meaning. The Tree of Life reflects the Aztec religion and reflects the understanding that the gods and heavens have a direct connection to the world and the lives of the Aztec people. The World Tree encapsulates the elements of heaven, earth and the underworld. Through the ritual of sacrifice, the Aztecs believed they could create and maintain the balance and harmony of these elements to achieve prosperity and eternal life..