The Aztec Deities

The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec peoples included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Aztec culture was organized into city-states (altepetl), some of which joined to form alliances, political confederations, or empires. The Aztec Empire was a confederation of three city-states established in 1427: Tenochtitlan, city-state of the Mexica or Tenochca; Texcoco; and Tlacopan, previously part of the Tepanec empire, whose dominant power was Azcapotzalco. Although the term Aztecs is often narrowly restricted to the Mexica of Tenochtitlan, it is also broadly used to refer to Nahua polities or peoples of central Mexico in the Pre-Hispanic era, as well as the Spanish colonial era (1521–1821). The definitions of Aztec and Aztecs have long been the topic of scholarly discussion ever since German scientist Alexander von Humboldt established its common usage in the early nineteenth century.

Most ethnic groups of central Mexico in the post-classic period shared basic cultural traits of Mesoamerica, and so many of the traits that characterize Aztec culture cannot be said to be exclusive to the Aztecs. For the same reason, the notion of "Aztec Civilization" is best understood as a particular horizon of a general Mesoamerican civilization. The culture of central Mexico includes maize cultivation, the social division between nobility (Pipiltin) and commoners (Macehualtin), a pantheon (featuring Tezcatlipoca, Tlaloc and Quetzalcoatl), and the calendric system of a Xiuhpohualli of 365 days intercalated with a Tonalpohualli of 260 days. Particular to the Mexica of Tenochtitlan was the patron God Huitzilopochtli, twin pyramids, and the ceramic ware known as Aztec I to IV.

Knowledge of Aztec society rests on several different sources: The many archeological remains of everything from temple pyramids to thatched huts, can be used to understand many of the aspects of what the Aztec world was like. However, archeologists often must rely on knowledge from other sources to interpret the historical context of artifacts. There are many written texts by the indigenous people and Spaniards of the early colonial period that contain invaluable information about precolonial Aztec history. These texts provide insight into the political histories of various Aztec city-states, and their ruling lineages. Such histories were produced as well in pictorial codices. Some of these manuscripts were entirely pictorial, often with glyphs. In the postconquest era many other texts were written in Latin script by either literate Aztecs or by Spanish friars who interviewed the native people about their customs and stories. An important pictorial and alphabetic text produced in the early sixteenth century was Codex Mendoza, named after the first viceroy of Mexico and perhaps commissioned by him, to inform the Spanish crown about the political and economic structure of the Aztec empire. It has information naming the polities that the Triple Alliance conquered, the types of taxes rendered to the Aztec Empire, and the class/gender structure of their society. Many written annals exist, written by local Nahua historians recording the histories of their polity. These annals used pictorial histories and were subsequently transformed into alphabetic annals in Latin script. Well-known native chroniclers and annalists are Chimalpahin of Amecameca-Chalco; Fernando Alvarado Tezozomoc of Tenochtitlan; Alva Ixtlilxochitl of Texcoco, Juan Bautista Pomar of Texcoco, and Diego Muñoz Camargo of Tlaxcala. There are also many accounts by Spanish conquerors who participated in Spanish invasion, such as Bernal Díaz del Castillo who wrote a full history of the conquest.

Now that we have a little background on where they come from, let's get started.

Gods of the Southers Stars

Centzonhuītznāhua

Animals:
Colors:
Elements:
Festival/Holiday:
Food: Cacao and Chocolate.
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Family Feuds and Stars.
Metal: Gold
Music:
Offerings:
Planet: Stars
Plants: Cotton
Sabbats:
Stones: Jade
Symbols: Stars
Trees: Cocoa

The Centzonhuītznāhua were the gods of the southern stars. They are the elder sons of Cōātlīcue, and their sister is Coyolxāuhqui. They and their sister tried to murder their mother upon learning of her pregnancy with Huītzilōpōchtli; their plan was thwarted when their brother sprang from the womb—fully grown and garbed for battle—and killed them all. The Centzonhuītznāhua are known as the "Four Hundred Southerners"; the gods of the northern stars are the Centzonmīmixcōa.

Gods of the Northern Starts

Centzonmīmixcōah

Animals: Serpents
Colors:
Elements:
Festival/Holiday:
Food: Tzihuactli Wine
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Sacrifices and Sex.
Metal:
Music:
Offerings:
Planet: Stars
Plants:
Sabbats:
Stones:
Symbols: Serpents and Stars.
Trees:

The Centzonmīmixcōah are the gods of the northern stars. They are sons of Camaxtle-Mixcoatl with the Earth Goddess (Tlaltecuhtli or Coatlicue) according the Codex Ramírez, or Tonatiuh (the Fifth Sun) with Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of the seas.

According to the Manuscript of 1558, section 6, these 400 'Cloud-Serpents' were divinely slain [transformed into stars] in this wise; of their five protagonists:

Cuāuhtli-icohuauh ('Eagle's Twin') "Hid inside a Tree"
Mix-cōātl ('Cloud Serpent') "Hid within the Earth"
Tlo-tepētl ('Hawk Mountain') "Hid within a Hill"
Apan-teuctli ('River Lord') "Hid in the Water"
Their sister, Cuetlach-cihuatl, "Hid in the Ball Court."

From this ambuscade, these 5 slew the 400.

Queen of Rivers, Lakes, and Still Water

Chalchiuhtlicue

Animals: All Aquatic Creatures and Serpents.
Colors: Jade and Turquoise.
Elements: Water
Festival/Holiday: Month of February.
Food: Maize, Prickly Pears, and Quail.
Herbs:
Incense: Copal
Magical Attributes: Baptism, Beauty, Dreams, Human and Agricultural Fertility, Irrigation, Marriage, New Borns, Storms, and Youth.
Metal:
Music:
Offerings: Food, Incense, and Human Sacrifices.
Planet:
Plants: Cotton and Water Lilies.
Sabbats: Litha
Stones: Jade and Turquoise.
Symbols: Corn
Trees: Prickly Pear Tree

Chalchiuitlicue directly translates to "Jade her skirt"; however, her name is most commonly interpreted as "she of the jade skirt." She was also known as Chalchiuhtlatonac, "She who shines like jade", and Matlalcueye "Possessor of the Blue Skirt" by the Tlaxcalans, an indigenous group who inhabited the republic of Tlaxcala. Depending on the text, Chalchiuitlicue was the wife or the sister of the Aztec god of rain, Tlaloc. Tlaloc and Chalchiuitlicue share similar attributes as they are both water deities, however Chalchiuitlicue was often associated with groundwater, unlike Tlaloc. She was also the mother of Tecciztecatl, the Aztec moon god. In other texts, she was Xiuhtecuhtli's wife, who was a senior deity for the Aztecs.

In Aztec religion, Chalchiuitlicue helps Tlaloc to rule the paradisial kingdom of Tlalocan. Chalchiutlicue brings fertility to crops and is thought to protect women and children.

According to myths, Chalchiuhtlicue once ate the sun and the moon. She is often associated with serpents, as most Aztec water deities are. It is thought that her association with water and fertility speaks to the Aztecs' association with the womb and water. She often withheld a dual role in Aztec mythology, as both a life-giver and life-ender. In the Aztec creation myth of the Five Suns, Chalchiuhtlicue presided over the Fourth Sun, or the fourth creation of the world. It is believed that Chalchiuhtlicue retaliated against Tlaloc's mistreatment of her by releasing 52 years of rain, causing a giant flood which caused the Fourth Sun to be destroyed. She built a bridge linking heaven and earth and those who were in Chalchiuhtlicue's good graces were allowed to traverse it, while others were turned into fish. Following the flood, the Fifth Sun, the world which we now occupy, developed. It is important to note that the Aztecs first began to use maize under her reign, which became a paramount staple to the Aztec diet and economy.

Chalchiutlicue wasn't just associated with the many fasciates of water but is also credited with being involved with the death of those who died in drowning accidents.

Mother of Gods, Mortals, & Stars

Cōātlīcue

Animals: Corn Snakes, Eagles and Rattlesnakes
Colors: Black, Blood Red, and White.
Elements: Earth
Festival/Holiday:
Food: Human Corpses
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Agriculture, Childbirth, Death, Fertility, Life, Rebirth, and Warfare.
Metal: Gold
Music:
Offerings: Eagle Feathers
Planet: Earth
Plants:
Sabbats:
Stones: Bloodstone and Obsidian.
Symbols: Feathers, Skulls, and Snakes.
Trees:

Coatlicue is represented as a woman wearing a skirt of writhing snakes 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 (after her head was cut off and the blood spurt forth from her neck in the form of two gigantic serpents), referring to the myth that she was sacrificed during the beginning of the present creation.

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 subsequently gave birth to the god Huitzilopochtli. Her daughter Coyolxauhqui then rallied Coatlicue's four hundred other children together and goaded them into attacking and decapitating their mother. The instant she was killed, the god Huitzilopochtli suddenly emerged from her womb fully grown and armed for battle. He killed many of his brothers and sisters, including Coyolxauhqui, whose head she cut off and threw into the sky to become the moon. In one variation on this legend, Huitzilopochtli himself is the child conceived in the ball-of-feathers incident and is born just in time to save his mother from harm.

Cecelia Klein argues that the famous Coatlicue statue in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico, and several other complete and fragmentary versions, may actually represent a personified snake skirt. The reference is to one version of the creation of the present Sun. The myth relates that the present Sun began after the gods gathered at Teotihuacan and sacrificed themselves. The best-known version states that Tezzictecatl and Nanahuatzin immolated themselves, becoming the moon and the sun. However, other versions add a group of women to those who sacrificed themselves, including Coatlicue. Afterward, the Aztecs were said to have worshiped the skirts of these women, which came back to life. Coatlicue thus has creative aspects, which may balance the skulls, hearts, hands, and claws that connect her to the earth deity Tlaltecuhtli. The earth both consumes and regenerates life.

Goddess of the Moon

Coyolxāuhqui

Animals:
Colors:
Elements:
Festival/Holiday:
Food
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes:
Metal: Copper and Gold.
Music:
Offerings: Bells
Planet: Milky Way and Moon.
Plants:
Sabbats:
Stones:
Symbols: Dead Severed Head and Metal Bells.
Trees:

In Aztec religion, Coyolxāuhqui, "Painted with Bells", is a daughter of the priestess Cōātlīcue ("Serpent Skirt"). She was the leader of her brothers, the Centzon Huitznahuas ("Four Hundred Huiztnaua"). She led her brothers in an attack against their mother, Cōātlīcue, when they learned she was pregnant, convinced she dishonored them all. The attack is thwarted by Coyolxāuhqui's other brother, Huitzilopochtli, the national deity of the Mexicas.

On the summit of Coatepec ("Serpent Mountain"), sat a shrine for Coatlicue, the maternal Earth deity. One day, as she swept her shrine, a ball of hummingbird feathers fell from the sky. She "snatched them up; she placed them at her waist." Thus, she became pregnant with the Aztec deity Huitzilopochtli. Her miraculous pregnancy embarrassed Coatlicue's other children, including her eldest daughter, Coyolxauhqui. Hearing of her pregnancy, the Centzon Huitznahuas, led by Coyolxauhqui, decided to kill Coatlicue. As they prepared for battle and gathered at the base of Coatepec, one of the Centzon Huitznahuas, Quauitlicac, warned Huitzilophochtli of the attack while he was in utero. Hearing of the attack, the pregnant Cōātlīcue miraculously gave birth to a fully grown and armed Huitzilopochtli who sprang from her womb, wielding "his shield, teueuelli, and his darts and his blue dart thrower, called xinatlatl."

Huitzilopochtli killed Coyolxāuhqui, beheading her and throwing her body down the side of Coatepec: "He pierced Coyolxauhqui, and then quickly struck off her head. It stopped there at the edge of Coatepetl. And her body came falling below; it fell breaking to pieces; in various places her arms, her legs, her body each fell." As for his brothers, the Centzon Huitxnahuas, he scattered them in all directions from the top of Coatepec. He pursued them relentlessly, and those who escaped went south.

Some authors have written that Huitzilopochtli tossed Coyolxauhqui's head into the sky where it became the Moon, so that his mother would be comforted in seeing her daughter in the sky every night, and that her scattered brothers became the Southern Star deities. It is difficult to verify these variations of the narrative with 16th century sources.

Lord of War, Spirit of the Sun

Huītzilōpōchtli

Animals: Hummingbirds, Quails, and Snakes
Colors:
Elements: Fire
Festival/Holiday: Panquetzaliztli
Food: Honey
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Fire, Human Sacrifice, and Willpower.
Metal: Gold
Music:
Offerings: Feathers, Gold, Jewels, and Serpent Dances.
Planet: Sun
Plants: Amaranth and Nagvioli Flowers.
Sabbats: Yule
Stones:
Symbols: Feathers, Hummingbird, Mirror, and Shield of Fire.
Trees:

In the Aztec religion, Huitzilopochtli is a deity of war, sun, human sacrifice, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the tribal god of the Mexicas, also known as Aztecs, of Tenochtitlan. Many in the pantheon of deities of the Aztecs were inclined to have a fondness for a particular aspect of warfare. However, Huitzilopochtli was known as the primary god of war in ancient Mexico. Since he was the patron god of the Mexica, he was credited with both the victories and defeats that the Mexica people had on the battlefield. The people had to make sacrifices to him to protect the Aztec from infinite night. He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire.

There are a handful of origin mythologies describing the deity's beginnings. One story tells of the cosmic creation and Huitzilopochtli's role in it. According to this legend, he was the smallest son of four — his parents being the creator couple of the Ōmeteōtl (Tōnacātēcuhtli and Tōnacācihuātl) while his brothers were Quetzalcōātl ("Precious Serpent" or "Quetzal-Feathered Serpent"), Xīpe Tōtec ("Our Lord Flayed"), and Tezcatlipōca ("Smoking Mirror"). His mother and father instructed him and Quetzalcoatl to bring order to the world. Together, Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl created fire, the first male and female humans, the Earth, and the Sun.

Another origin story tells of a fierce goddess, Coatlicue, being impregnated as she was sweeping by a ball of feathers on Mount Coatepec ("Serpent Hill"; near Tula, Hidalgo). Her other children, who were already fully grown, were the four hundred male Centzonuitznaua and the female deity Coyolxauhqui. These children, angered by the manner by which their mother became impregnated, conspired to kill her. Huitzilopochtli burst forth from his mother's womb in full armor and fully grown, or in other versions of the story, burst forth from the womb and immediately put on his gear. He attacked his older brothers and sister, defending his mother by beheading his sister and casting her body from the mountain top. He also chased after his brothers, who fled from him and became scattered all over the sky.

Huitzilopochtli is seen as the sun in mythology, while his many male siblings are perceived as the stars and his sister as the moon. In the Aztec worldview, this is the reason why the Sun is constantly chasing the Moon and stars. It is also why it was so important to provide tribute for Huitzilopochtli as sustenance for the Sun. If Huitzilopochtli did not have enough strength to battle his siblings, they would destroy their mother and thus the world.

Lord of Mictlān, Realm of the Dead.

Mictlāntēcutli

Animals: Bats, Dogs, Owls, and Spiders.
Colors: Black and White.
Elements:
Festival/Holiday: Día de Muertos
Food:
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes:
Metal:
Music:
Offerings: Bones, Gifts to the Dead, and Human Sacrifices.
Planet:
Plants:
Sabbats: Samhain
Stones:
Symbols: Skull
Trees:

Mictlāntēcutli, in Aztec mythology, is a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan (Chicunauhmictlan), the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld. He is one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and is the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld. The worship of Mictlantecuhtli sometimes involved ritual cannibalism, with human flesh being consumed in and around the temple. Other names given to Mictlantecuhtli include Ixpuztec (“Broken Face”), Nextepehua (“Scatterer of Ashes”), and Tzontemoc (“He Who Lowers His Head”).

In Aztec mythology, after Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca created the world, they put their creation in order and placed Mictlantecuhtli and his wife, Mictecacihuatl, in the underworld. According to Aztec legend, the twin gods Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl were sent by the other gods to steal the bones of the previous generation of gods from Mictlantecuhtli. The god of the underworld sought to block Quetzalcoatl's escape with the bones and, although he failed, he forced Quetzalcoatl to drop the bones, which were scattered and broken by the fall. The shattered bones were collected by Quetzalcoatl and carried back to the land of the living, where the gods transformed them into the various races of mortals. When a person died, they were interred with grave goods, which they carried with them on the long and dangerous journey to the underworld. Upon arrival in Mictlan these goods were offered to Mictlantecuhtli and his wife.

In another myth, the sagacious (shrewd) god of death agrees to give the bones to Quetzalcóatl if he can completely finish what would appear to be a simple test. The god informs Quetzalcóatl that he has to travel through his kingdom four times, while a shell sounds out like a trumpet. However, in place of giving Quetzalcóatl the shell from Mictlantecuhtl he gives him a normal shell, without holes in it. In order to not be mocked, Quetzalcóatl beckons the worms to come out and perforate the shell, thus creating holes. He then calls the bees to enter the shell and to make it sound out like a trumpet. (As an emblem of his power over wind and life, Quetzalcóatl is commonly depicted wearing a cut shell over his chest, this shell represents the same shell that Ehécatl, the god of the wind, wears). Whilst listening to the roar of the trumpet, Mictlantecuhtl, at first, decides to allow Quetzalcóatl to take all of the bones from the last creation, but then quickly changes his mind. Nevertheless, Quetzalcóatl is more astute than Mictlantecuhtl and his minions and escapes with the bones. Mictlantecuhtli, now very angry, orders his followers to create a very deep pit. While Quetzalcóatl is running away with the bones he is startled by a quail, which causes him to fall into the pit. He falls into the pit and dies (or so it would appear), and is subsequently tormented by the animal (the quail), and the bones he is carrying are scattered. The quail then begins to gnaw on the bones.

Despite the fall Quetzalcóatl is eventually revived and gathers all of the broken bones. It is for this reason that people today come in all different sizes. Once he has escaped from the underworld, Quetzalcóatl carries the precious cargo to Tamoanchan, a place of miraculous origin.

Lord of the Hunt

Mixcoatl

Animals: Deer and Serpents.
Colors: Black, Red, and White.
Elements: Fire
Festival/Holiday:
Food: Wild Game
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Feasts and Hunting.
Metal:
Music:
Offerings: Hunted Animals
Planet: The Milky Way
Plants:
Sabbats:
Stones:
Symbols: Basket Covered with Netting and Bow & Arrow.
Trees:

Mixcoatl was the Aztec god of the hunt and the patron god of the Tlaxcalan people. Just as Huitzilopochtli guided the Mexica people to their eventual homeland, Mixcoatl led the Chichimec people to Tlaxcala. One of the few city-states to resist Aztec conquest, Tlaxcala ultimately sided with the Spanish conquistadors against the Aztec Empire.

Mixcoatl was one of four children of Tonacatecutli, meaning "Lord of Sustenance," an aged creator god, and Cihuacoatl, a fertility goddess and the patroness of midwives. Sometimes Mixcoatl was worshipped as the "Red" aspect of the god Tezcatlipoca, the "Smoking Mirror," who was the god of sorcerers, rulers, and warriors. In one story, Tezcatlipoca transformed himself into Mixcoatl and invented the fire drill by revolving the heavens around their axes, bringing fire to humanity. Along with this cosmic fire drill, Mixcoatl was the first to strike fire with flint. These events made Mixcoatl a god of the Milky Way, along with war, and the hunt.

Mixcoatl was the father of 400 sons, collectively known as the Centzon Huitznahua, who ended up having their hearts eaten by Huitzilopochtli. The Centzon Huitznahua met their demise when they, and their sister Coyolxauhqui, after finding their mother Coatlicue pregnant, conspired to kill her. However, as they attacked she gave birth to a fully formed and armed Huitzilopochtli, who proceeded to kill his half-siblings. Mixcoatl was also related to 400 more gods, the Centzonmimixcoa, whom, together with his 3 brothers (all different from the ones named above) and their sister, he slew by ambush. Mixcoatl was also thought of as being the father of another important deity, Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. Quetzalcoatl's father Mixcoatl was murdered; Quetzalcoatl was informed by Cozcaquauhtli that "the uncles who had killed his father were Apanecatl, Zolton, and Cuilton."

God of Healing

Patecatl

Animals: Rabbits
Colors:
Elements:
Festival/Holiday: Malinalli
Food: Mushrooms and Pulque.
Herbs: Agave, All Medical Herbs, and Peyote.
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Fertility, Healing, and Medicines.
Metal:
Music:
Offerings:
Planet:
Plants: Maguey
Sabbats:
Stones:
Symbols:
Trees:

In Aztec mythology, Patecatl is a god of healing and fertility and the discoverer of peyote as well as the "lord of the root of pulque". With Mayahuel, his wife, he is the father of the Centzon Totochtin (Four Hundred Rabbits), the divine rabbits, and the gods of drunkenness. Like Mayahuel and the Centzon Totochtin, Patecatl himself is a god of pulque, the alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant.

Lord of the Dawn

Quetzalcoatl

Animals: Opossums, Quetzals, and Rattlesnakes.
Colors:
Elements: Air and Water.
Festival/Holiday:
Food: Chocolate and Maize.
Herbs:
Incense: Copal
Magical Attributes: Agriculture, Art, Crafts, Fertility, Knowledge, Learning, Metal Working, Rainstorms, Patron of Priests, Science, Teaching, and Vegetation.
Metal:
Music:
Offerings: Chocolate, Flowers, Incense, and Seashells.
Planet: Venus, the Morning Star.
Plants: Hyacinths
Sabbats:
Stones: Seashells
Symbols: Conch Shell
Trees:

Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec’s Feathered Serpent god, controller of winds and bringer of maize. A clever shapeshifter, he used his wits to trick the Lord and Lady of Death into giving him the bones that he shaped into mankind.

As one of the four sons of the Aztec creator deities Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, Quetzalcoatl played an integral role in the creation of the universe. After he was born, he and his family waited 600 years for his youngest brother, Huitzilopochtli (who was born without flesh), to join them in the process of cosmic construction. Quetzalcoatl and either Huitzilopochtli or Tezcatlipoca (depending upon the myth) were responsible for the creation of the cosmos. After creating fire, they molded a partial sun and gave life to the first man and woman.

In many versions of the myth, Quetzalcoatl worked in opposition to his brother Tezcatlipoca. This rivalry was a recurring theme in Aztec mythology, with the flying serpent (Quetzalcoatl) frequently pitted against the black jaguar (Tezcatlipoca). Each bout of fighting brought one of the four epochs of Aztec history to an end, ultimately ending with Tezcatlipoca in control of the fifth (and current) age. During this time, it was conceivable that Quetzalcoatl could defeat his brother once more and regain power. This possibility would become mythologically significant when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century.

Quetzalcoatl was instrumental in creating people to populate the fifth age. In order to do this, Quetzalcoatl had to sneak into the underworld of Mictlan and trick Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl, the Lord and Lady of Death, into giving him the bones they guarded. Mictlantecuhtli would only give the bones to Quetzalcoatl if he could create a sound by blowing into a conch shell with no holes in it. Quetzalcoatl managed to complete this challenge through clever trickery. He had worms drill a hole in the conch, then filled the shell with bees. Quetzalcoatl’s actions successfully tricked Mictlantecuhtli into giving him the bones. But this was not enough for Quetzalcoatl. In an effort to further trick Mictlantecuhtli, Quetzalcoatl told him that he would leave Mictlan without the bones. Before Quetzalcoatl could escape from Mictlan, however, his deception was discovered by Mictlanecuhtli. A deep pit appeared before Quetzalcoatl, preventing his escape. As he fell into the the pit, Quetzalcoatl was knocked unconscious and mixed up the bones he was carrying. After his eventual escape, Quetzalcoatl combined the now slightly shuffled bones with his blood and corn to create the first humans of the fifth age. The Aztecs used this allegory to explain why people came in all different heights.

Lord of Magic, Ruler of Night

Tezcatlipoca

Animals: Coyotes, Jaguars, Monkeys, Owls, Skunks, and Turkeys.
Colors: Black and Red.
Elements: Earth and Water.
Festival/Holiday: Tōxcatl
Food:
Herbs:
Incense: Copal
Magical Attributes: Beauty, Black Magic, Bringer of Evil, Crossroads, Death, Disaster, Discord, Divination, Fertility, Good Fortune, Happiness, Prosperity, Sorcery, The Sky, Volcanos, and War.
Metal: Gold
Music:
Offerings: Dancing, Incense, and Singing.
Planet: Sun
Plants: Morning Glory
Sabbats:
Stones: Obsidian and Turquoise.
Symbols: Jaguar and Obsidian Mirror.
Trees:

Tezcatlipoca, whose name means “Smoking Mirror”, was the Aztec god of night and sorcery, as well as the patron deity of Aztec kings and young warriors. As with many Aztec gods, he was associated with several aspects of Aztec religion, the sky, and the earth, winds and the north, kingship, divination, and war. For the different aspects he embodied, Tezcatlipoca was also known as the Red Tezcatlipoca of the West, and the Black Tezcatlipoca of the North, associated with death and cold.

According to Aztec mythology, Tezcatlipoca was a vengeful god, who could see and punish any evil behavior or action happening on earth. For these qualities, Aztec kings were considered Tezcatlipoca’s representatives on earth; at their election, they had to stand in front of the god’s image and perform several ceremonies in order to legitimize their right to rule.

Tezcatlipoca was the son of the god Ometéotl, who was the original creator entity. One of Tezcatlipoca’s brothers was Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca joined forces to create the surface of the earth but later became fierce enemies in the city of Tollan. For this reason, Quetzalcoatl is sometimes known as the White Tezcatlipoca to distinguish him from his brother, the Black Tezcatlipoca.

Many Aztec legends hold that Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl were the gods who originated the world, told in the myth of the Legend of the Fifth Sun. According to Aztec mythology, prior to the current times, the world had passed through a series of four cycles, or “suns”, each one represented by a specific deity, and each one ending in a turbulent way. The Aztecs believed they lived in the fifth and last epoch. Tezcatlipoca ruled the first sun when the world was inhabited by giants. A fight between Tezcatlipoca and the god Quetzalcoatl, who wanted to replace him, put an end to this first world with the giants being devoured by jaguars.

Lord of Rain and Lightning

Tlāloc

Animals: Ahuizotl, Butterflies, Deer, Dogs, Frogs, Jaguars, and Turkeys.
Colors: Blue and Green.
Elements: Water
Festival/Holiday: Etzalcualiztli and Mazatl
Food:
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Earthquakes, Fertility, Rain, Thunder, and Water.
Metal:
Music:
Offerings: Jade, Sand, Shells, Tons of Incense, and Water-themed Offerings.
Planet:
Plants: Chia
Sabbats:
Stones: Jade
Symbols: Deer and Seeds.
Trees:

Tlaloc is the supreme god of the rain, earthly fertility and of water. He was widely worshipped 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. Tlaloc is also associated with caves, springs, and mountains, most specifically the sacred mountain in which he was believed to reside. His animal forms include herons and water-dwelling creatures such as amphibians, snails, and possibly sea creatures, particularly shellfish. The Mexican marigold, Tagetes lucida, known to the Aztecs as yauhtli, was another important symbol of the god, and was burned as a ritual incense in native religious ceremonies. The cult of Tlaloc is one of the oldest and most universal in ancient Mexico. Although the name Tlaloc is specifically Aztec, worship of a storm god like Tlaloc, associated with mountaintop shrines and with life-giving rain, is as at least as old as Teotihuacan and likely was adopted from the Maya god Chaac or vice versa, or perhaps he was ultimately derived from an earlier Olmec precursor. An underground Tlaloc shrine has been found at Teotihuacan.

In Aztec cosmology, the four corners of the universe are marked by "the four Tlalocs" which both hold up the sky and function as the frame for the passing of time. Tlaloc was the patron of the Calendar day Mazātl. In Aztec mythology, Tlaloc was the lord of the third sun which was destroyed by fire. On page 28 of the Codex Borgia, the Five Tlaloque are pictured watering maize fields. Each Tlaloc is pictured watering the maize with differing types of rains, of which only one was beneficial. The rain that was beneficial to the land was burnished with jade crystals and likely represented the type of rain that would make a bountiful harvest. The other forms of rain were depicted as destroyers of crops, “fiery rain, fungus rain, wind rain, and flint blade rain”. This depiction shows the power that Tlaloc had over the Central American crop supply. Also, the high ratio of damaging rains to beneficial rains likely symbolizes the ratio of the likelihood that crops are destroyed to them being nourished. This would explain why so much effort and resources were put forth by the Central Americans in order to appease the Gods.

Additionally, Tlaloc is thought to be one of the patron deities of the trecena of 1 Quiahuitl (along with Chicomecoatl). Trecenas are the thirteen-day periods into which the 260-day calendar is divided. The first day of each trecena dictates the augury, or omen, and the patron deity or deities associated with the trecena. In Aztec mythic cosmography, Tlaloc ruled the fourth layer of the upper world, or heavens, which is called Tlalocan ("place of Tlaloc") in several Aztec codices, such as the Vaticanus A and Florentine codices. Described as a place of unending springtime and a paradise of green plants, Tlalocan was the destination in the afterlife for those who died violently from phenomena associated with water, such as by lightning, drowning, and water-borne diseases. These violent deaths also included leprosy, venereal disease, sores, dropsy, scabies, gout, and child sacrifices.

The Nahua believed that Huitzilopochtli could provide them with fair weather for their crops and they placed an image of Tlaloc, who was the rain-god, near him so that if necessary, the war god could compel the rain maker to exert his powers.

Despite the fact that it has been nearly half a millennium since the conquest of Mexico, Tlaloc still plays a role in shaping Mexican culture. At Coatlinchan, a giant statue of Tlaloc continues to play a key role in shaping local culture, even after the statue was relocated to Mexico City. In Coatlinchan, people still celebrate the statue of Tlaloc, so much so that some local residents still seek to worship him, while the local municipality has also erected a reproduction of the original statue. Many residents of Coatlinchan, relate to the statue of Tlaloc in the way that they might associate themselves with a patron saint, linking their identity as a resident of the town with the image of Tlaloc.[12] While Tlaloc plays an especially important role in the lives of the people of Coatlinchan, the god also plays an important role in shaping the Mexican identity. Images of Tlaloc are found throughout Mexico from Tijuana to the Yucatán, and images of the statue of Tlaloc found at Coatlinchan are deployed as a symbol of the Mexican nation. Tlaloc and other pre-Hispanic features are critical to creating a common Mexican identity that unites people throughout Mexico. Accordingly, people throughout Mexico, and especially in Coatlinchan, refer to Tlaloc in very anthropomorphized ways, referring to Tlaloc as a person. Furthermore, people continue to observe superstitions about Tlaloc. Despite centuries of colonial erasure, Tlaloc continues to be represented in American culture.

God of the Sun

Tōnatiuh

Animals: Eagles
Colors: Red
Elements: Fire
Festival/Holiday:
Food:
Herbs:
Incense: Copal
Magical Attributes: Fertility, The Sun, and War.
Metal: Gold
Music:
Offerings: Blood, Fasting for 4 days, Human Sacrifices, and Incense.
Planet: Sun
Plants:
Sabbats:
Stones: Coral and Jade.
Symbols:
Trees:

Tonatiuh’s existence as the fifth sun of the Aztecs was brought about by the sacrifice of the god Nanahuatzin. Setting the sun in motion required many more deaths, and his own eventual demise will signal the end of the world. According to Aztec beliefs, the current era is the fifth age. The previous four ages were defined by their unique sun—each of which was ultimately destroyed. After the fourth sun was destroyed, the Aztec gods gathered together to create the fifth and final sun: Tonatiuh. He was formed by the Aztec gods following the destruction of the fourth age. His creation required the sacrifice of gods, and setting him in motion required still more blood to be spilled. Even once set in motion, however, the Aztecs did not believe Tonatiuh to be eternal, predicting his destruction by earthquakes. The Aztecs held that when Tonatiuh’s end eventually arrived, humanity would be destroyed.

A central tenant in Aztec cosmology was that of the five suns. Each sun was created by—or out of—a god. The fourth sun was the goddess 4-Water, sometimes identified as Chalchiuhtlicue, one of Tlaloc’s wives.5 The fourth age ended with 52 years of flooding which destroyed the sun and left the Earth in darkness. The Aztec gods sought to create a new sun to return light to world, and it was decided that both Tecciztecatel and Nanahuatzin would be sacrificed to bring it into existence. Both of the gods prepared for their sacrifice by fasting for four days.

Tecciztecatel’s preparations were extravagant: His ritual branches were of quetzal feathers, His grass heart was woven of gold, His spine was of greenstone [likely jade], …The bloodletting, blood-covered instrument was of coral, And, his incense was copal, a very fine copal.
Nanahuatzin, on the other hand, was a homely god, and it showed in his preparations: His ritual branches were made only of green grass and green reeds…, And his grass ball was woven only of pine needles, And his bloodletting spine was only a maguey thorn, …And his incense consisted of only scabs that he was twisting off.

Despite his lavish preparations, Tecciztecatel refused to leap onto the pyre four times. Nanahuatzin, however, dove onto the pyre on his first attempt. Not wanting to be outdone, Tecciztecatel launched himself into the flames at last. By the time Tecciztecatel landed in the flames, however, “the fire was no longer very well arranged…he was burned just a little [and] spattered with black soot.” As the flames died down, Nanahuatzin was turned into a blackened eagle before becoming the radiant sun Tonatiuh. Tecciztecatel, who was not fully burned, emerged as a spotted jaguar. Unfortunately, the botched sacrifice had resulted in two motionless suns. The gods resolved the duplication by beating Tecciztecatel to death with a rabbit, thus turning him into the moon—dimmer, without heat, and with the imprint of the rabbit left upon his face.

According to Aztec mythology, the universe had existed through five distinct ages, each with its own sun. The previous four eras had met with destructive fates predicted by the names of the suns that governed them. The suns themselves were named for the days on which their ages began—a naming practice that carried over to gods as well as individuals.

Age One: 4-Jaguar, destroyed by jaguars
Age Two: 4-Wind, destroyed by wind
Age Three: 4-Rainstorm, destroyed by a rainstorm…albeit a rainstorm of volcanic fire.
Age Four: 4-Water, destroyed by massive flooding
Age Five: 4-Movement, the current age. The Aztecs believed this age would be destroyed by earthquakes.

The Aztecs believed that when 4-Movement/Tonatiuh was finally destroyed, humanity would be destroyed as well.

God of Spring, Patron of War

Xipe Totec

Animals: Eagles, Ocelots, and Snakes.
Colors: Gold and Red.
Elements:
Festival/Holiday: Tlacaxipehualiztli (Flaying of Men)
Food:
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Agriculture, Disease, Force, Gemstone Work, Hunting, Metalwork, Planting, Rebirth, Seeds, Spring, Trading, Vegetation, and War.
Metal: Gold
Music:
Offerings:
Planet:
Plants:
Sabbats: Ostara
Stones:
Symbols: Seeds and Shield.
Trees:

Xipe Totec, literally “Our Lord the Flayed One,” was the Aztec god of agriculture, seasons, and goldsmiths. He was worshiped with rituals of gladiatorial combat and human sacrifice, culminating with his priests wearing the victim’s flayed skin. Xipe Totec was the Aztec god of agriculture, seasons, goldsmiths, and disease. He was often depicted wearing a suit of flayed skin, and his associated ceremonies emphasized his choice of attire. Such rituals usually culminated in a fresh skin suit being made and worn by either a statue of Xipe Totec or one of his priests.

While stories of sacrifice were a common element in many religions, the Aztecs took this element a step further by engaging in a multitude of sacrificial rituals. Xipe Totec was but one of the gods that the Aztecs sought to appease through human sacrifice. Such offerings to the god of agriculture ensured that the rains would help the crops grow into a bountiful harvest.

One of Xipe Totec’s many names was Yoalli Tlauana, or “night drinker.” This name may have referred to the seasonal nightly rains that were needed for the Aztec’s crops success. Another interpretation suggested that the word used for drink, tlauana means to “drink to slight intoxication.” Aztec priests were occasionally known to become intoxicated for certain rituals, and this practice advanced the theory that the name “bears some relation to the celebration of [Xipe Totec’s] rites at night.”

One unique feature of Xipe Totec was his status as the patron god of goldsmiths. The Aztecs believed gold to be sacred, and reserved it for ritual or state use. The Nahuatl word for gold, teocuitatl, translates as “excrement of the gods." While it may sound amusing to the modern ear, the Aztecs took the divine status of this excrement very seriously. Stealing gold was an affront to the gods in general, and Xipe Totec in particular. Anyone caught committing this crime was imprisoned until Xipe Totec’s annual festival arrived, and was skinned alive during the festivities.

Gold was one of the primary goods delivered to the Aztec Empire as tribute from its vassal states. One of the sites where gold was extracted was called “place of the terrible god Xipe Totec.” For the most part, Aztec gold was gathered through panning; the collected gold dust was then stored in hollow gourds. These gourds were in turn used as a unit of measurement to describe the amount of tribute the Aztecs demanded.

Goddess of Flowers, Love, Pleasure, and Vegetation

Xōchiquetzal

Animals: Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and Quetzal.
Colors:
Elements: Fire
Festival/Holiday: Hueypachtli
Food:
Herbs:
Incense: Floral Sense
Magical Attributes: Childbirth, Conception, Creativity, Fertility, Healers, Menstruation, Pregnancy, Sex, Sex Workers, and Youthful Female Sexuality.
Metal: Gold
Music:
Offerings: Flower Tattoos, Flowers, and Mexican Hot Chocolate.
Planet: Moon
Plants: All Flowers, especially Mexican Marigolds.
Sabbats:
Stones:
Symbols: Jeweled Butterfly Nose Ornament.
Trees: Tree of Life

Xochiquetzal was the Aztec goddess of fertility, sexuality, pregnancy, and traditional female handicrafts such as weaving. She was also heavily associated with the moon and the various lunar phases.

Xochiquetzal is unique amongst Aztec goddesses in that she was always portrayed as a young woman. Her peers, like Coatlicue, were usually shown as matrons. In artistic renderings, Xochiquetzal was usually adorned with flowers and shown wearing rich garments. The link between Xochiquetzal, flowers, and sexuality was not an arbitrary one. Like many other cultures, the Aztecs drew parallels between flowers and the clitoris or vulva.

Xochiquetzal’s familial ties are somewhat mysterious, as her parentage was lost to the historical gaps left by time and conquest. Nevertheless, she did have several important relations. Her twin brother Xochipilli was the god of art, beauty, and dance. Like his sister, Xochipilli has been interpreted as a god of erotic love. Unlike his sister, Xochipilli represented male prostitutes and homosexuality. Xochiquetzal played wife to many different Aztec gods. Such gods included:

Piltzintecuhtli – god of the rising sun, healing, and hallucinogenic drugs
Tlaloc – god of rain
Tezcatlipoca – one of the four creator deities who served as omnipresent god of the night sky and knower of all thoughts
Centeotl – god of maize
Xiuhtecuhtli – god of fire and heat

Though Xochiquetzal is one of the oldest Aztec gods, her origin story remains unclear. She was an important member of the Aztec pantheon and one of several literal and figurative mothers to the Aztec people. A recurring element in Xochiquetzal’s legends was her relation to the moon. Such relations changed depending on the myth being told, however, as she would reflect different aspects of the lunar cycle in each tale. While many Aztec gods had explicit origin stories, Xochiquetzal did not. While it was possible that the Aztecs lacked an origin story for her, it is more likely that it has simply been lost to time and conquest. Xochiquetzal was said to have come from Tamoanchan, the ancestral origin place of the Aztec gods.5 Her connection to Tamoanchan hinted at her enduring status in Mesoamerican religion; Tamoanchan was not a Nahuatl word, but a Mayan one.

Lord of the Vanguard

Yacatecuhtli

Animals:
Colors:
Elements:
Festival/Holiday:
Food
Herbs:
Incense:
Magical Attributes: Bargains, Merchants, Opportunities, Points you in the Right Direction, Selling, Sniffs out Bullshit, Spies, and Traveling Merchants.
Metal:
Music:
Offerings:
Planet:
Plants:
Sabbats:
Stones:
Symbols: Bundle of Staffs and a Cross.
Trees:

Yacatecuhtli was the patron god of commerce and travelers, especially business travelers. His symbol is a bundle of sticks. Merchants would carry an uttal cane as they moved from village to village peddling their wares, and at night-time would tie them together into a neat bundle before sprinkling them with blood from their ears. It was believed that this ritual in Yacatecuhtli's honor would guarantee success in future business ventures, not to mention protection from vicious beasts and robbers on their journeys. His name means "lord of the nose" (Nahuatl yacatl, nose and tecuhtli, lord).