AZTEC GODS OF MEXICO

One name for the Aztecs was "Warriors of the Sun" who were also popularly referred to as "People of the Sun." The Aztecs were a Mesoamerica culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztecs considered their world as the fifth sun and their divine duty was to wage cosmic war in order to provide the sun with its "tlaxcaltiliztli" (nourishment).

The great pyramid built in the pre-Hispanic area of Teotihuacan, Mexico was to honor the gods and it can still be visited today.

The patron god of the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan, which is now known as a part of modern-day Mexico City, was the Sun god Huitzilopitchli who represented war and sacrifice. Other important gods included Tlaloc, the supreme god of rain and by extension a god of earthly fertility and water, Quetzalcoatl, the god of the wind, the sky, the stars, and Tezcatlipoca, who was associated with, but not limited to hurricanes, the earth, temptation, sorcery, temptation, war, and strife.

Modern day Aztecs celebrating their heritage in Mexico City.

Many leading deities of the Aztec pantheon are still worshiped by present-day people of Mexico and other Mesoamerican civilizations including, but not limited to, Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopitchli, and Tezcatlipoca. I look forward to your joining me in this brief introduction of the Aztec gods so let's get started.  

                                             

                                         
 The following were the primary gods of the Aztec world:

Huitzilopitchli: The Hummingbird of the South

                                   

In the Aztec religion, Huitzilopochtli is a deity of war, sun, human sacrifice, and the patron god of Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City) and the national god of the Mexicas who are now known as the Aztecs.

Huitzilopitchli was also a tribal god and a legendary wizard of the Aztecs. Originally Huitzilopochtli was of little importance, but after the rise of the Aztecs he was elevated to the level of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca making him a very busy god!

Tlaloc: He Who Makes Things Sprout

                         

Tlaloc is a member of the pantheon of gods in Aztec religion and was the supreme god of the rain. Tlaloc is also a god of earthly fertility and of water. He was widely worshiped as a beneficent giver of life and sustenance. However, he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder, and lightning and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. The cult of Tlaloc was one of the oldest and most universal in ancient Mexico.

Coatlicue:  The Serpent Skirt

                          

The sculpture of the Aztec god Coatlicue in Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology is one of the most famous Aztec sculptures in existence (her name is pronounced "koh-at-lee-kway"). Standing over ten feet tall the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them.

Coatlicue is represented as a woman wearing a skirt of writhing snakes (serpents) and a necklace made of human hearts, hands, and skulls. Her feet and hands are adorned with claws and her breasts are depicted as hanging flaccid from pregnancy. Her face is formed by two facing serpents referring to the myth that she was sacrificed during the beginning of the present creation.

Most Aztec artistic representations of Coatlicue emphasize her deadly side because Earth, as well as loving mother, is the insatiable monster that consumes everything that lives. According to Aztec legend, Coatlicue was once magically impregnated by a ball of feathers that fell on her while she was sweeping a temple and she subsequently gave birth to the god Huitzilopitchli.  All I can say is WOW!

Xochiquetzal: The Precious Feather Flower

                                    

In Aztec mythology Xochiquetzal was a goddess associated with concepts of fertility, beauty, female sexual power, a protector of young mothers, a patroness of pregnancy, childbirth, and the crafts practiced by women such as weaving and embroidery. Xochiquetzal was one busy goddess!

Tezcatlipoca: the Smoking Mirror

                                      

Tezcatlipoca (Nahuatl: “Smoking Mirror”) god of the Great Bear constellation and of the night sky was one of the major deities of the Aztec pantheon. Other representations show Tezcatlipoca with his mirror on his chest. In it he saw everything, invisible, omnipresent, and he knew all the deeds and thoughts of humans. This was one scary dude!

Quetzalcoatl: The Feathered Serpent

To the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl was as his name indicates a feathered serpent, a flying reptile (much like a dragon) who was a boundary-maker (and transgressor) between earth and sky. He was a creator deity having contributed to the creation of Mankind. 

The Feathered Serpent was a prominent supernatural entity or deity found in many Mesoamerican religions. He was called Quetzalcoatl among the Aztecs, Kukulkan among the Yucatec Maya, and Q'uq'umatz and Tohil among the K'iche' Maya.

Tezcatlipoca was a central deity in religion and his main festival was celebrated in the month of May. One of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl he is associated with a wide range of concepts, including the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, ruler ship, divination, temptation, jaguars, sorcery, beauty, and war.

Each of these gods had their own shrine at the top of the largest pyramid in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Tlaloc and Huitzilopitchli were both worshiped here while a third monument in the plaza known as the Templo Mayor in Mexico City was devoted to Quetzalcoatl.

                                   

The Templo Mayor (or Great Temple which was called Huitzilopochtli by the Aztecs) was the main temple of the Aztec people and dominated the central sacred precinct of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. Our photograph above shows the on-going excavation of the Templo Mayor in Mexico City.

                                           

A photograph taken of the huge and impressive main plaza, or zocalo, of Mexico City during our visit which was where the Aztecs liked to gather as we did.

My personal choice for "Top Aztec God" is from an amazing list of more than 200 gods!

Tezcatlipoca was the god of ancestral memory, god of time, the Lord of the North, the god of providence, of the invisible, of darkness, and the embodiment of change through conflict. I find Tezcatlipoca and all of his many responsibilities simply awesome and wonder if he was able to keep all of his responsibilities under control.

In one version of the Aztec's creation account as described in the FIVE SUNS CREATION MYTH goes like this:  "The Sun of the Earth" was ruled by Tezcatlipoca who was later destroyed by Quetzalcoatl when he struck down Tezcatlipoca who was then transformed into a jaguar. If I haven't lost you on that abbreviated Aztec saga I would be pleasantly surprised and amazed.

                                              

Tezcatlipoca's name in the Nahuatl language is often translated as "Smoking Mirror" which alludes to his connection to obsidian the material from which mirrors were made, in Mesoamerica for shamanic rituals and prophecy. The above turquoise mask representing Tezcatlipoca as seen at the British Museum I find simple stunning!

And if we have had enough Aztec gods I offer in closing some photographs of beautiful modern-day Aztecs who are very proud of their heritage.

Modern day Aztecs celebrating in San Miguel de Allende when we lived there.

         Beautiful young ladies waiting to participate in the annual Aztec parade in San                           Miguel de Allende.

Laura with her Aztec Quetzalcoatl feathered headdress at the Mexica Hall of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Aren't the feathers spectacular!

And in closing images of the Aztec Chihuahuas of Mexico.  

Hanging out with some of the magnificent Aztec gods at the fabulous National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City made me very happy. Thank you for joining me in my introduction to the Aztec gods of Mexico. And until next time, wishing you well wherever your travels and adventures may take you. Sincerely, Laura