Warfare as Ritual Sacrifice Aztec Ritual Sacrifice Removing the heart of a captured warrior: feeding the Sun God Western Ritual Sacrifice, First World War French soldiers running into machine gun fire: feeding France Aztec Sacrifice. Post-Conquest Nahua Painting, c. 1560. (Priests hold excavated heart to sun atop teocalli) c. 1650 ref 1500 Aztecs Spanish Conquest. French soldiers charging, in the open, toward a German position during the early weeks of WWI. Most would soon be slaughtered by German machine guns and artillery.