The Azteca didn't (human) sacrifice 20,000 each year. This was their peak year due to important religious festivities. IIR correctly 20,000 were sacrificed because a new temple to the sun was being dedicated. Their prisoners cut out hearts were a sacrifice to their sun god and ensured the sun would rise each day Not true. Based on new population estimates, as well as the protein deficit that may have driven the cannibalism, I've seen numbers from 20,000 per year to 200,000 in peak years. The 20, 000 was for the dedication of ONE temple, but sacrifices and eating of flesh was faily commonplace. In any event, newest estimates have the Aztec death tolls in the MILLIONS(over the course of their reign) rather than a few hundred thousand. And I know this is an old post, I was just looking for FR threads that I remember mentioning the Aztecs.
The Aztecs are very intriguing. The mass murdering Nazis of their time but even more vile and evil. If they had the 1940's technology of the Nazis they would have outdone them ten fold.
Thanks for the new info on the Aztecs .... I'll have to check it out. One common strategy for such primative ruling classes was to secure meat and protein for themselves but deny them to the masses ....making them more docile and compliant.