Aztec creator gods
In
Omeyocan "the place of duality".[1]
Each of the four sons takes a turn as Sun, these suns are the
Meztli). All of this occurs in the ancient and sacred, pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacan
. It is predicted that eventually, like the previous epochs, this one will come to a cataclysmic end.
The Tezcatlipocas created four couple-gods to control the waters by
Xantico and Xiuhtecuhtli.[3]
List
| Cardinal direction | Names | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Tezcatlipoca (Tezcatlipōca) | Smoking Mirror | God of providence, the invisible and darkness, lord of the Night and the Ursa Major. Ruler of the North |
| East | Xipe Totec (Xīpe Tōtec) | Our Lord The Flayed One | God of force and agriculture, lord of seasons, regeneration and crafts. Ruler of the East |
| West | Quetzalcoatl (Quetzalcohuātl) | Feathered Serpent | God of life, light and wisdom, lord of the day and the winds. Ruler of the West |
| South | Huitzilopochtli (Huītzilopōchtli)
|
Left-handed Hummingbird | God of war and will, lord of the Sun and fire. Ruler of the South |
- Camaxtle.
- Quetzalcoatl was also related to gods of the wind, of Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. He was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood, of learning and knowledge, patron of priests, the inventor of the calendar and of books, and the protector of goldsmiths and other craftsmen. As the morning and evening star, Quetzalcoatl was the symbol of death and resurrection. A feathered serpent deity has been worshipped by many different ethno-political groups in Mesoamerican history.
- Aztlan, their traditional home, to the Valley of Mexico.
Black Tezcatlipoca
Black Tezcatlipoca is Tezcatlipoca, and he was generally represented with a stripe of black paint across his face and an obsidian mirror in place of one of his feet. The post-Classic (after ad 900) Maya-Quiche people of
Hurakan ("One Foot"). Other representations show Tezcatlipoca
with his mirror on his chest. In it he saw everything; invisible and omnipresent, he knew all the deeds and thoughts of humans.
By Aztec times (14th–16th century ad), Tezcatlipoca's manifold attributes and functions had brought him to the summit of the divine hierarchy, where he ruled together with
Toxcatl
, the fifth ritual month. Every year at that time the priest selected a young and handsome war prisoner. For one year he lived in princely luxury, impersonating the god. Four beautiful girls dressed as goddesses were chosen as his companions. On the appointed feast day, he climbed the steps of a small temple while breaking flutes that he had played. At the top he was sacrificed by the removal of his heart.
Red Tezcatlipoca
Red Tezcatlipoca is Xipe-Totec or Camaxtle, and his representations first appeared at
Texcoco, in connection with the Mazapan culture—that is, during the post-Classic Toltec phase (9th–12th century ad). The Aztecs adopted his cult during the reign of Axayacatl (1469–81). During Tlacaxipehualiztli ("Flaying of Men"), the second ritual month of the Aztec year, the priests killed human victims by removing their hearts. They flayed the bodies and put on the skins, which were dyed yellow and called teocuitlaquemitl ("golden clothes"). Other victims were fastened to a frame and put to death with arrows; their blood dripping down was believed to symbolize the fertile spring rains. A hymn sung in honour of Xipe-Totec called him Yoalli Tlauana ("Night Drinker") because beneficent rains fell during the night; it thanked him for bringing the Feathered Serpent
, who was the symbol of plenty, and for averting drought.
White Tezcatlipoca
White Tezcatlipoca is Quetzalcoatl that one important body of myths describes
Ce Acatl (One Reed). As the god of learning, of writing, and of books, Quetzalcoatl was particularly venerated in the calmecac, religious colleges annexed to the temples, in which the future priests and the sons of the nobility were educated. Outside of Tenochtitlan, the main centre of Quetzalcoatl's cult was Cholula, on the Puebla
plateau.
Blue Tezcatlipoca
Blue Tezcatlipoca is Huitzilopochtli, and his representations usually show him as a hummingbird or as a warrior with armour and helmet made of hummingbird feathers. In a pattern similar to that found in many hummingbirds, his legs, arms, and the lower part of his face were painted one color (blue) and the upper half of his face was another (black). He wore an elaborate feathered headdress and brandished a round shield and a turquoise snake. Huitzilopochtli is presented as the deity who guided the long migration the Aztecs undertook from
Aztlan, their traditional home, to the Valley of Mexico. During the journey his image, in the form of a hummingbird, was carried upon the shoulders of priests, and at night his voice was heard giving orders. The Aztecs believed that the sun god needed daily nourishment (tlaxcaltiliztli
) in the form of human blood and hearts and that they, as people of the sun, were required to provide Huitzilopochtli with his sustenance.
The legend of Huitzilopochtli is recorded in the
Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli, the Aztecs reported that they sacrificed about 20,400 prisoners over the course of four days. While accepted by some scholars, this claim also has been considered Aztec propaganda. There were 19 altars in the city of Tenochtitlan
.
Bibliography
- Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas, ed. (1975). Códice Chimalpopoca. Anales de Cuauhtitlán y Leyenda de los Soles (in Spanish). México. p. 161. ISBN 968-36-2747-1.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Panorama Editorial, ed. (1998). Dioses Prehispánicos de México (in Spanish). México. p. 162. ISBN 968-38-0306-7.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Biblioteca Porrúa. Imprenta del Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Historia y Etnología, ed. (1905). Diccionario de Mitología Nahua (in Spanish). México. p. 851. ISBN 978-9684327955.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Editorial Universo México, ed. (1981). El Mundo Mágico de los Dioses del Anáhuac (in Spanish). México. p. 153. ISBN 968-35-0093-5.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Oxford University Press, ed. (2001). Dictionary of Ancient Deities. United States. p. 608. ISBN 978-0195145045.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Library of Congress, ed. (2004). Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. United States. p. 402. ISBN 0-8160-5923-3.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Migne, ed. (1881). Dictionnaire universel, historique et comparatif, de toutes les religions du monde : comprenant le judaisme, le christianisme, le paganisme, le sabéisme, le magisme, le druidisme, le brahmanisme, le bouddhismé, le chamisme, l'islamisme, le fétichisme; Volumen 1,2,3,4 (in French). France. p. 602.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
References
- ISBN 968-35-0093-5.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ISBN 970-07-3149-9.
- ^ ISBN 968-35-0093-5.
- ^ Huitzilopochtli Archived May 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
