Aztecs Worshiped Cosmic Horror (Make HP Lovecraft Look Like Dr. Suess)
Episode script. Originally published 2026-09-08 at https://basedcamppodcast.substack.com/p/aztecs-worshiped-cosmic-horror-make
Techno-Puritan editorial context: This is a supplementary episode, not a tract. It reviews a book about Aztec religion as a historical case of a civilization organized around ritual human sacrifice; the practices described are recounted as history and criticized, never endorsed.
Today on Based Camp, we dip our toes into the Aztec civilization through a review of Inga Clendinnen’s Aztecs: An Interpretation by John Psmith of Mr. and Mrs. Psmith’s Bookshelf, exploring how their religion, cosmology, and social structures centered on ritual human sacrifice at an industrial scale. The review examines their gods, warrior culture, child-rearing practices, and the inversion of pleasure-seeking societies into ones obsessed with pain and cosmic dread.
We quickly came to understand why this society felt like Lovecraftian horror made real, how ideas and religion shaped every aspect of life, and why neighboring groups allied with the Spanish against them. The conversation contrasts Aztec culture with other historical civilizations and reflects on the role of moral frameworks in preventing such extremes.
We heartily recommend reading John Psmith’s full review (their entire substack is great, especially for parents and people uniquely interested in culture). Take a moment to thank your lucky stars that YOU WEREN’T BORN IN MEXICO AT THE HEIGHT OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE.