Aztec Tongue Piercing – Truth or Fiction?

Piercings have been performed throughout time for many different reasons. In history they were mainly done to symbolise something.

In India the nose has been pierced throughout history as it is said to make childbirth easier. Different cultures have piercings for different reasons and the Aztecs were no exception.

The Aztecs pierced their tongues in order to honour their gods. However, the piercings that they performed were slightly different to how they are now… 🙂

Understanding Aztec Tongue Piercings

Aztec tongue piercings were different to the tongue piercings that we know today in the fact that no jewellery was placed in the hole. The piercings were simply done to spill blood and show that the Aztec people were honouring their gods.

Nothing was ever placed into the tongue because it wasn’t about showing the piercing off! Nonetheless – you can read in multiple places on the Internet that aztecs were wearing tongue piercings… Just another myth!

The piercings that we know and love today are known as permanent tongue piercings. That is because once you have the piercing you place jewellery into the hole and that prevents it from closing up. When the Aztecs pierced their tongues they didn’t place anything into the piercing. Therefore the piercing would close up within a few days and it would be gone.

So tongue piercing used to be performed as part of a ritual and it has been around for centuries. The main goal of tongue piercing in Aztec times was to draw blood from the hole. This was what symbolised honour to the gods and the pain inflicted was also said to be the Aztec people’s tribute to their gods. However, it wasn’t until more recent times that permanent tongue piercings were introduced. These days tongue piercings are mainly done to make a statement or for sexual reasons. 🙂