Nov 29, 2022 · Coatlicue was the serpent-skirt wearing Aztec goddess of fertility who prophesied the fall of the Aztec empire. Mother of the war god Huitzilopochtli, she predicted that when the cities he conquered finally fell, her son would return to her.

Nov 29, 2022 · In the second story, Huitzilopochtli was born to Coatlicue, a primordial earth goddess. He was conceived when his mother put a ball of hummingbird feathers underneath her breasts. As hummingbirds represented reincarnated warriors, the implication was that Huitzilopochtli had been sired by an anonymous warrior.

Jan 24, 2023 · 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.

Nov 29, 2022 · Tlaloc was the Aztec god of thunder and rain, one of the longest continually worshiped gods in the pantheon. Usually beneficent but occasionally fickle, he was offered sacrifices to ensure that the seasonal rains arrived on time.

Nov 29, 2022 · The Aztec cult of the dead was centered around Mictlantecuhtli and Mictlan, although gods like Tlaloc, Huitzilopochtli, and Coatlicue were also associated with death under specific circumstances. While most of the dead would find their way to Mictlan, some would find themselves transported to the realms of these other gods.

Nov 29, 2022 · Ometeotl was the Aztecs’ original creator deity, composed of husband Ometecuhtli and wife Omecihautl. After creating themselves and four of the most powerful gods of the pantheon, they left to reside in the highest heaven.

Nov 29, 2022 · 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.

Nov 29, 2022 · Chalchiuhtlicue was the Aztec goddess of oceans, rivers, springs, and lakes, and patron of newborns and the sick. She represented the fourth sun of the Aztecs, and cried tears of blood when accused of faking her feelings.

Nov 29, 2022 · Tezcatlipoca, the “Smoking Mirror,” was a powerful Aztec creator deity represented by an obsidian mirror. Frequently in conflict with his brother Quetzalcoatl, he sacrificed his foot to a sea monster to create the world from its body.

Nov 29, 2022 · The Aztec gods and goddesses were a bloodthirsty group whose constant warring with each other led to a cycle of death and rebirth for all humanity. Each of the first four ages was ruled by a different deity, or “sun,” and each age ended in violence before a new sun was chosen.