A lot of today's modern design has its origin from ancient culture and civilization. Foremost of these cultures are the Aztec culture. The Aztecs have always regarded body markings as sacred, and as such, all of the symbols created and adapted as tattoos almost always have religious connotations.
The influence and motivation of the Aztecs lead to the creation of some of the most visually beautiful tattoo symbols. Even the placement of these tattoos on the body has a meaning that is primarily rooted in their culture. The most widely used symbol of the Aztecs is the sun. This is because the Aztecs are primarily sun worshipers. You will therefore find so many artful variations of the sun.
Tattoo permeates Aztec culture so much so that even children have tattoos. Putting body markings is a way of identifying the god they are worshiping. If you really want to know more about Aztec designs, it is probably better to immerse yourself in their culture or at the very least do a background study so that you will have a better understanding of their motivation and the symbolism of their tattoo. In this way, you will not be simply touted as someone who is just imitating art from somebody else's culture but rather somebody who has a deeper understanding of Aztec art and embraces whatever it represents.
For information and design, you can always turn to the internet as your sources. There are also several books that are dedicated to re-discovering the Aztecs. Even your local tattoo artist will have a considerable collection of Aztec tattoos on their possession. This is where it is important to know more about the Aztec culture because some tattoo artist may get over zealous and add whatever design that takes their fancy to your Aztec tattoo. You will then be saddled with a tattoo which is not authentic Aztec but rather a compromise based on your design and the tattoo artist's whim.
A good advice will be to seek a reputable tattoo artist who will ask you what you want, the influences that you want shown on your tattoo, and who can explain the symbolism that your tattoo stands for if your decide to get something ethnic for your tattoo.
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