I'm guessing the Mayans and Azteca also went crazy with tattoos..... looks like I was right.
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http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:iHMJ-mrO9fEJ:www.rankmytattoos.com/tattoos/cultural-tattoos/mexican-tattoos/+Mayans++tattoos&hl=en
Mexican tattoos are a highly decorative and rapidly growing sector of the tattoo community. With their elaborate use of color and vivid imagery, no single tat style seems to merge the ancient and the modern like these popular tattoo designs.
Mexican tattoos derive much of their look from the ancient art of the Mayans and the Aztecs. Though both cultures employed the use of tattoos, mostly to mark slaves and convicts, Mexican tattoos are influenced by the religious art these cultures used to appease the fickle gods that ruled their everyday life, not the crude lines they called ‘tattoos’. Examples of this can be found in Mayan gods like Chac and Ah-Puc, with their connections to fertility and death, which makes for striking tattoo designs with rich use of color and exaggerated physical features.
Some of the most popular Mexican tattoos are those of the Aztec variety. Aztec tattoos are not only visually striking, but they represent a nationalistic pride of ancient Mexico. Tattoos of this type that remain popular are Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent messiah, and Chalchiuhtlicu, the god of youth.
Mexican tattoos also echo the bridge between the pagan and the Christian world. The catholic influence on Mexican art can be found in tattoos that show “Day of the Dead” motifs—most recognizable with skeletons in highly stylized and celebratory tableaus. These continue to be some of the requested tattoos around.
Another, somewhat controversial, form of Mexican tattoos is prison gang art. Often administered both inside prisons and in outside tattoo parlors, Mexican tattoos of this kind declare one’s allegiance to the Mexican prison subculture and most notably the Mexican mafia and its arch rival, La Nuestra Familia. The Mexican Mafia, or ESE as it is known, has the instantly recognizable image of an eagle holding a snake, while La Nuestra Familia is portrayed by a tattoo depicting a sombrero with a machete through it.
No matter what kind of Mexican tattoo it is, all of them seem to share the role of celebrating one’s affiliation to a culture. This continues to make them popular tat choices. Because of their cultural importance, it’s imperative that your tattoo artist has experience in the genre so that your tat looks as good as it can be-and is worthy of a heritage that is thousands of years old.
Thanks for the interesting tattoo history. I think too many tattoos are ugly, and a waste of good ink. Must be a cultural thing. My Dad had a tattoo of an eagle on his forearm, and as he aged, the tattoo became blurry and unrecognizable. Makes me wonder what these guys will look like if they live to be 80!