Amerindians were the first people to settle in Guyana. The various tribes, mainly the warlike Caribs and the peaceful Arawaks, came from Asia, crossing the Bering Strait and settled in various parts of South and Central America and the Caribbean. Amerindians have contributed to Guyana’s Development in a number of ways. To begin with they have named many places, including Guyana, which means land of many waters, Umana Yana, which means meeting place of the people, Essequibo, Pakuri, Moraikobai, Mokura and many others.   
Guyana is home to approximately 70,000 Amerindians. This population is divided into nine (9) different tribes but some people believe that there are others. The names of the tribes are Arawak, Carib, Warrau, Macusi, Wapisiana, Wai Wai, Akawaio, Arecuna, Patamona. The majority of Amerindians live in regions 1, 7, 8 and 9, with smaller populations in the other regions. Regions 3, 4, 5, and 6 have one Amerindian community each.
The Aztec religion and its attendant rites and rituals, including human sacrifice and/or cannibalism, have been part of the culture of the ancestors of Guyana’s indigenous tribes.
Below are some drawings of rites and rituals of the Aztec ancestors of Guyana’s present-day Amerindian peoples .   

Aztec gods and goddesses
Tonacatecuhtli – Male power of gods.
Quetzalcoatyl – God of knowledge.
Tepeyoplohtli – Jaguar god of the earth.
Huehuecoyotl – god of mischief.
Chalchiuhtlicue – goddess of water.
Tecciztecatl – Moon god.
Tlaloc – God of rain and earth.
Mayahuel- goddess of wine.
Xiuhtecuhtli – Fire god.
Miclantecuhtli – God of death.
Xochipilli – God of flowers and plants.
Patecatl – God of medicinal plants.
Tezcatlipoca – God of fate.
Tlazolteotl – earth mother.
`Totec – god of seeding and planting.
Itzapapalotl – agricultural goddess.
Xolotl – twin of Quetzalcoatl.
Chalchiuhtotolin – god of night and the mysterious.
Quiahuitl – Rain
Chantico – goddess of the hearth.
Xochiquetzal – goddess of flowers.

The seasons influenced how many people were sacrificed to appease the gods. If there was a drought, they sacrificed many people. If there was good harvesting then there would not be much sacrificing. For warriors, the most honorable way to die was to die in battle. These sacrifices were a continuous role of the Aztec civilization. It was estimated that a quarter of a million people were sacrificed each year for the gods. This was about one percent of the total population.