Question: describe ways in which the religious beliefs of the maya and aztec were similar

title: Aztec religion
text: Human sacrifice was practiced on a grand scale throughout the Aztec empire , although the exact figures are unknown . At Tenochtitlán , the principal Aztec city , according to Ross Hassig `` between 10,000 and 80,400 persons '' were sacrificed over the course of four days for the dedication of the Great Pyramid in 1487 . Excavations of the offerings in the main temple has provided some insight in the process , but the dozens of remains excavated are far short of the thousands of sacrifices recorded by eyewitnesses and other historical accounts . For millennia , the practice of human sacrifice was widespread in Mesoamerican and South American cultures . It was a theme in the Olmec religion , which thrived between 1200 BC and 400 BC and among the Maya . Human sacrifice was a very complex ritual . Every sacrifice had to be meticulously planned from the type of victim to specific ceremony needed for the god . The sacrificial victims were usually warriors but sometimes slaves , depending upon the god and needed ritual . The higher the rank of the warrior the better he is looked at as a sacrifice . The victim ( s ) would then take on the persona of the god he was to be sacrificed for . The victim ( s ) would be housed , fed , and dressed accordingly . This process could last up to a year . When the sacrificial day arrived , the victim ( s ) would participate in the specific ceremonies of the god . These ceremonies were used to exhaust the victim so that he would not struggle during the ceremony . Then five priests , known as the Tlenamacac , performed the sacrifice usually at the top of a pyramid . The victim would be laid upon the table , held down and then have his heart cut out . 

Answer: answer: Human sacrifice was practiced on a grand scale throughout the Aztec empire.  For millennia, the practice was widespread in Mesoamerican and South American cultures.  It was a theme in the Olmec religion which thrived between 1200 BC and 400 BC and among the Maya.