The Aztecs were the inhabitants of central Mexico at the time of its European discovery in early 16th century. By that time, the Aztec Empire covered 80,000 square miles and contained 25 million people in almost 500 towns and cities. A polytheist culture, the Aztecs worshiped hundreds of deities, many of whom were similar to the deities of other Mesoamerican civilizations that preceded them. Let’s learn about the Aztec Creator God as well as their Four Main Deities.
Table of Content
The Key Questions
The Aztec creator deity was Ōmeteōtl, the dual god. It was both male and female at the same time. Before Ōmeteōtl created itself, the universe didn’t exist. The dual god was responsible for the creation of the universe.
The four most important gods in the Aztec pantheon were all sons of the creator deity Ōmeteōtl (The Dual God). In order of their birth, they were Xipe Totec; Tezcatlipoca; Quetzalcoatl; and Huitzilopochtli
- Xipe Totec: Xipe – the flayed one + Totec – our lord. Our Lord the Flayed One
- Tezcatlipoca: Tezcatl – mirror + Pōctli – smoke. Smoking Mirror.
- Feathered Serpent: Quetzal – the emerald plumed bird + Cōātl – a snake. Feathered Serpent.
- Huitzilopochtli: Huitzilin – hummingbird + Opochtli – left. Reincarnated Warrior of the South
*Left hand was associated with the south while hummingbirds were considered reincarnations of dead warriors.
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The Creator God – Ōmeteōtl
Mythology:-
The name Ōmeteōtl comes from the Nahuatl words Ōme (two) and Teōtl (god). They created themselves as nothing existed before them. The dual god comprised of two parts, a male and a female, known as Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. The two gods were also called Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl. Thus, Ometeotl was both one and two at the same time. Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl resided in the highest level of heavens, the thirteenth heaven known as Ilhuicatl-Omeyocan.
Worship:-
Ōmeteōtl hardly interfered with the sphere in which the humans resided. Moreover, the dual god didn’t interact much with the other deities. As such, no temples were erected for them and no sacrifices were offered to them. Apart from creation of the world, Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl were important for giving birth to the four most important Gods in the Aztec pantheon. Besides this, their role in Aztec religion was minimal.
#1 Xipe Totec
Mythology:-
In the Five Suns Myth, the creator God Ōmeteōtl gave his four sons the four main directions to preside over. The eldest Xipe Totec got to preside over the east. His brothers Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli got to preside over the north, west and south respectively. In another myth, Xipe Totec did the ultimate sacrifice during a great famine. He removed his own skin as a means to both feed his human worshipers and to cure them of disease.
Worship:-
In keeping with his name, Xipe Totec is believed to have flayed himself to give food to humanity. This may be symbolic of the way maize loose their outer covering before germination. Thus, Xipe Totec is most often depicted wearing a suit of flayed skin. During his ceremonies, a suit of skin was made and worn by a priest; or his statue was adorned with the skin suit.
The Aztec calendar was divided into 18 months of 20 days. The second month of this calendar was dedicated to Xipe Totec and was called Tlacaxipehualiztli. The central act of the festival was a gladiatorial contest between Aztec warriors and prisoners of war. The prisoners were given inferior weapons and stood no chance.
In Tlacaxipehualiztli, the sacrificial humans were skinned carefully to produce a nearly intact suit. During the month, these skins were worn by victorious warriors who then performed fake skirmishes through the city. The priests also wore these skin suits till the last day of the month or till the skin became rotten. Afterwards, the skins were buried at Xipe Totec’s temple.
Xipe Totec was the patron god of goldsmiths. The Aztec attached great importance to gold. In fact their word for it teocuitatl, translates as “excrement of the gods.” Stealing gold was a great offense and the one who did it was imprisoned till the festival of Xipe Totec. The person was then skinned alive during one of the ceremonies.
#2 Tezcatlipoca
Mythology:-
The myth of the Five Suns is the most important Aztec creation myth. According to it, the four sons of Ōmeteōtl decided to create a world. They created time, the underworld and water. In the water, there was a monster called Cipactli. Tezcatlipoca lured Cipactli using his right foot as a bait. Along with Quetzalcoatl, he trapped Cipactli and created the earth from its body. However, he lost his right foot in the process. Thus in Aztec depictions, Tezcatlipoca is often shown with objects, like an obsidian mirror, in place of his right foot.
Tezcatlipoca ruled the world as the sun during the Age of the First Sun. His brother Quetzalcoatl ended his reign by striking him with a club. Tezcatlipoca fell in water and rose as a giant jaguar who devoured everything on earth. He then became the constellation Ursa Major or the Great Bear. In one version of the Five Suns Myth, Tezcatlipoca is also the ruler in the Age of the Fifth Sun, which is the current age.
There are numerous other myths featuring Tezcatlipoca as he was one of the most important gods in Aztec religion. In one of these myths, Tezcatlipoca helps his brother Quetzalcoatl in stealing music from the sun god Tonatiuh so that people on earth could enjoy it. Tezcatlipoca lends his servants to his brother, who make a bridge for Quetzalcoatl to reach the sun. They also break the bridge when Quetzalcoatl is escaping with the musicians of Tonatiuh so that the sun god is not able to catch him.
Worship:-
Tezcatlipoca was connected to blood-letting and human sacrifice ceremonies performed by the Aztecs. Obsidian blades were used in these important ceremonies. An annual festival celebrated in the fifth month of the Aztec calendar was dedicated to Tezcatlipoca. It was called Toxcatl. To prepare for the festival, a young man was chosen to represent Tezcatlipoca. He was treated with great respect and one month prior to the festival, he was married to four women, who represented the four wives of the God. He was then sacrificed on the day of the festival usually by removing his heart with an obsidian blade.
#3 Quetzalcoatl
Mythology:-
According to the Five Suns Myth, Quetzalcoatl created the world along with his brothers. He ruled over it as the sun in the Age of the Second Sun. His brother Tezcatlipoca put an end to this age by becoming a blast of wind so great that it blew away Quetzalcoatl. In the Age of the Fifth Sun, the present age, Quetzalcoatl played a key role in creating new people for earth. He visited Mictlan, the underworld, and got bones from there by tricking the Lord of the Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli.
Initially in the Age of the Fifth Sun, Quetzalcoatl was the ruler of the world. His brother Tezcatlipoca, jealous of his reign, got him drunk one day. In intoxicated state, Quetzalcoatl slept with his celibate priestess sister. When he found out what he had done, he left the throne and set out for the sea. Thus Tezcatlipoca became the ruler of the present age.
Worship:-
Quetzalcoatl was the patron god of priests and merchants as well as the god of learning, knowledge, arts and craft. He was associated with the Morning Star Venus, the bird Resplendent Quetzal and rattlesnakes. One of this most important role was as the God of Wind, one of the most powerful forces of nature and the one who brought rains for crops. In this avatar, he is known as Ehecatl.
Though he was one of the most important gods, Quetzalcoatl didn’t have a month dedicated to his cult. He is often depicted as a plumed serpent, in keeping with his name. In his human avatar, he is shown wearing a conical hat and shell jewelry. It is believed that the famous Pyramid of the Niches at El Tajin was dedicated to him. His importance can be gauged by the abundance of feathered serpent depictions in Aztec culture.
#4 Huitzilopochtli
Mythology:-
In the Five Suns creation myth, when Huitzilopochtli was born, he was without flesh. He remained so for 600 years and only when he became full, he and his brothers attempted to create the world. Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli made the first attempt. They created time, the sun, the earth, the underworld, water and the first man and woman. However, as the sun was weak, Tezcatlipoca became the sun and ruled during the Age of the First Sun.
The most important myth concerning Huitzilopochtli is how he led the Aztecs to their capital city Tenochtitlan. Prior to that, the Aztecs lived in a place called Aztlan, from which they derive their name. The journey to Tenochtitlan was a long and arduous one. During this time, people had babies, the babies grew into men and women, who had babies of their own. They faced many hardships and Huitzilopochtli taught them how to fight and how to defend themselves.
Worship:-
Huitzilopochtli was also the patron god of the Aztecs and their capital city, Tenochtitlan. As he led the Aztecs to their capital city, he was highly revered by them. In fact, about half of the Tenochtitlan’s Templo Mayor was dedicated to him. It was believed that warriors who died in battle accompanied Huitzilopochtli for four years after which they would be reborn as hummingbirds.
Panquetzaliztli, the fifteenth month of the Aztec calendar, was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli. A festival was held in his honor during the month which included dances, feasts and foot races. As the God of War, Huitzilopochtli is supposed to be extremely powerful. He is often depicted with a shield, war darts and Xiuhcoatl (a fire serpent) as a spear. Moreover, sacrifices were made to him after every battle.