How can I understand Aztec and Maya spiritual practices without appropriating them?

This is the ache I hear in your question—the longing to connect authentically without causing harm. The difference lies in *learning* versus *performing*. When you study Aztec cosmology or Maya calendar wisdom, you're entering a conversation with living descendants and rich histories. Read scholars who are themselves Maya or Aztec. Visit museums with Indigenous curators. Listen to contemporary Indigenous voices explaining their own traditions. The ancient religions didn't disappear; they transformed, blended, survived. What you're really seeking is understanding, not ownership. That hunger—that devotional attention to something beyond yourself—is where respect begins. Start by asking: am I trying to *own* this knowledge, or am I trying to *honor* it? The answer will guide your steps. Seek out Indigenous-led educational platforms, attend talks by Mesoamerican scholars from those communities, and sit with the discomfort of not having all the answers. That sitting-with is itself spiritual practice.