The most important ritual activity of Mesoamerican peoples was the presentation of offerings, that is: feeding the gods. In the Mesoamerican conception, the gods were formed by "essences" or light, fluid and volatile substances. Such substances were not visible, traveling from the celestial and underground depths to the surface of the earth. Once they arrived there they took corporeal forms which they would bring to life with their strength; thus they made corn sprout and flowers open, as well as people to talk or fish to swim. Literally, the sacred forces animated and moved the world.
For the Mesoamerican mentality it was necessary to feed (and therefore reciprocate) the gods with substances of a similar nature to the gods themselves. They were not able to ingest corporeal and heavy objects. Although they were presented with flowers, the purpose of this was so that the gods could inhale their fragrance. As for human sacrifices, the gods consumed the scent of the blood that soaked the altars and shrines, or the smoke that rose as it was burnt before their images and in their temples.
Aromatic smoke was the most common daily offering; nothing was more pleasing to the gods nor traveled so fast to thank them and pay them back for their gifts as smoke. The most preferable aromatic smoke was from copal, a resin obtained from the tree of the same name. And we know that sweet smelling herbs were used the poorest people. The aromatic offering was so important that the visual representation of the priest, since the Preclassic, was the figure of a man with a leather bag or sack hanging from his arm: it was the little sack priests used to carry the copal so they could mae their offerings throughout the day.
Not only priests made offerings of aromatic smoke: in every home, at sunrise, the embers of the fire were stoked and sprinkled with the dust of the ground crystals, which immediately crackled and gave off a strong smell.
There were several types of devices suitable for placing red-hot coals on which to drop the copal; there were large and stationary ones, which were even attached to the temples, and there were portable ones capable of being moved. This clay piece is like the portable braziers known as censers. The embers were placed on the tray, and the handle of the device was moved to direct or "fan" the smoke towards the image to be venerated. These braziers were also used to offer smoke to distinguished visitors who arrived in a city on diplomatic missions.
The most important ritual activity of Mesoamerican peoples was the presentation of offerings, that is: feeding the gods. In the Mesoamerican conception, the gods were formed by "essences" or light, fluid and volatile substances. Such substances were not visible, traveling from the celestial and underground depths to the surface of the earth. Once they arrived there they took corporeal forms which they would bring to life with their strength; thus they made corn sprout and flowers open, as well as people to talk or fish to swim. Literally, the sacred forces animated and moved the world.
