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The Aztecs may be a civilization long since gone, but the stories they left behind, their
mythology, is forever ingrained in time.
It may not be as widely retold as Greek or Roman mythology, but this Mesoamerican people’s
religion, which focused heavily on human sacrifice, was fascinating on its own, breeding these
top ten deities of Aztec mythology.
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10.
Tonaituh Aztecs worshiped Tonaituh as the Sun God and
the symbol of the fifth era or that of man.
Prior to Tonatiuh, four ages, or Suns represented as earth, wind, fire, and water, were destroyed,
leading to the current era of ollintonatiuh, or the Sun of Movement.
According to the Aztec calendar, Tonaituh rules over death and, as legend goes, is forced
to go through a cycle of life every day, starting with his birth at sunrise, followed by a journey
across the sky and his death at nightfall. 9.
Tlaloc Some may recognize the name Tlaloc from Bungie’s
Destiny, but it is more commonly attached to the Aztec deity of rain, water, agriculture,
and lightning.
Thought to be a giver of life through new rains and a bringer of drought and destructive
storms, Tlaloc ruled over the Tlaloque, a grouping of rain, mountain, and weather gods.
The meteorological god was also believed to manifest as the four cardinal directions,
or Tlalocs, represented by the colors black, white, blue, and red, or the elements of wind,
earth, water, and fire.
8.
Xipe Totec Son of Ometeotle and brother to Tezcatlipoca,
Huitzilopochtli, and Quetzalcoatl, Xipe Totec was revered as the god of spring.
During the Snake Festival or Tlacaxipehualiztli, the Aztecs worshiped Xipe Totec, also known
as the patron god of new harvests, by skinning sacrificial victims to symbolize the shedding
of husks and release of seeds.
Xipe Totec was often depicted as wearing a human’s skin to represent the new layers
of vegetation that grow every spring.
7.
Huitzilopochtli Known as the Hummingbird of the South or Blue
Hummingbird on the Left, Huitzilopochtli was worshiped as the god of war and of the sun
and considered an important aspect of the Aztec pantheon.
In one version of his creation myth, Huitzilopochtli was born during the murder of his mother,
Coatlicue, at the hands of his 400 siblings, the Centzonhuitznahuac and Centzonmimizcoa.
Rising from his mother’s corpse, the newly born Huitzilopochtli avenged her death, specifically
killing his sister, Coyolxauhqui.
The sibling rivalry is believed to be responsible for the day/night cycle, depicted as a daily
struggle over control of the sky.
6.
Huehueteotl Referred to as “The Old God,” Huehueteotl
was also often associated with Xiuhtecuhtli, or The Lord of Turquoise.
In some lore, the two were different parts of one deity, ruling over fire.
Huehueteotl was believed to regenerate, purify, and transform the world through fire, representing
the changing of seasons and natural regeneration of Earth.
In the creation myth, Huehueteotl was a founder of the world and creator of the Sun.
At the end of each cycle or every 52 years, the ceremony of the New Fire was held in the
deity’s honor, celebrating the regeneration of the cosmos and starting of a new cycle.
5.
Mictlantecuhtli In the creation myth, Miclantecuhtli, ruler
of Mictlan, or the lowest level of the underworld and northern realm of the dead, attempted
to stop Quetzalcoatl from using bones of the previous world to spawn mankind.
Mictlantecuhtli is husband to Mictecacihuatl and overseer of Itzcuintli, the guide of the
dead, and shares association with bats, spiders, and owls.
Aztecs honored their Lord of the Land of the Dead through rituals at the temple of Tlalxicco,
where an impersonator of the god of death would be sacrificed.
4.
Tlaltecuhtli As the Aztec Earth God or Goddess, Tlaltecuhtli
was believed to literally comprise the ground that we stand on.
In the Aztec creation myth, the aquatic Tlaltecuhtli was sought after to create a place for man
to thrive on between the sky and waters.
After a battle with Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, Tlaltecuhtli was rendered no longer able to
sink below the surface and, with various parts of his or her body, flora, mountains, and
caverns were formed throughout the world.
As the myth goes, the cries of Tlaltecuhtli’s suffering can still be heard, quelled only
by blood sacrifice.
3.
Ometeotl Though technically two deities, the pairing
of Omecihuatl and Ometecuhtli served a singular purpose, representing the duality, or two
parts, of the cosmos.
Residing in Omeyocan, or Double Heaven, the sibling spouses, or Lady and Lord of Duality
and Lord of Life and Goddess of Creation, are said to be responsible for creating the
stars and Earth from monsters that once inhabited the heavens and birthing the first Aztec deities,
Xipetotec, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, and Huitzilopochtli.
The Aztecs recognized their presence in the heavens, but the importance of Omecihuatl
and Ometecuhtli was often overlooked in favor of lesser gods.
2.
Coatlicue Referred to as Serpent Skirt and depicted
as an old woman wearing a skirt of snakes, Coatlicue was viewed as the Earth-Mother goddess,
worshiped as the patron of childbirth, and often thought to be Omecihuatl.
The feared goddess was said to have given birth to the moon and stars and was a symbol
of Mother Earth’s ability to be both loving and deadly.
Besides the lore revolving around the birth of Huitzilopochtli, Coatlicue, also known
as the governance of agriculture and warfare, was believed to prophesize to Aztec ruler
Motecuhzoma II the fall of Aztec cities.
1.
Quetzalcoatl The Plumed Serpent, god of the winds and the
rain, creator of all mankind - to the Aztec pantheon, Quetzalcoatl was one of the most
important deities to exist.
The 9th Lord of the Day was responsible for the creation of man by using bones of elder
beings, which he stole from the underworld despite intervention of Mictlantecuhtli and
his wife Mictlancihuatl.
Having deceived the duo, the Plumed Serpent was thrown into a pit, where the bones he
carried were shattered.
With those he recovered, Quetzalcoatl and Cihuacoatl mixed them with the deity’s blood
and corn to bring man into the world.
It’s said the broken bones are responsible for the varying sizes among humans.
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