The Aztecs were a civilization that flourished in pre-Hispanic times, encompassing a great culture and extensive religious belief that encompasses approximately 100 gods throughout their entire historical mythology.
Although most of their gods were created from their own beliefs, they also have in their extensive list of deities from other cultures, such as the Nahuas, who basically contributed the ideas of the most important gods of pre-Hispanic cultures, such as the feathered serpent. Quetzalcóatl god of wind and life.
In their mythology you could observe cults dedicated to the gods, because they associated the elements of nature with them, which had to be kept happy to have good harvests and favorable climates, for this blood donations were made, which in Sometimes they were simple cuts from the executioners themselves, as they also took the lives of one or even a thousand dogs, ripping out their hearts when it was still beating, and throwing the corpses into common graves.
Elements such as water, wind, fire, earth, and atmospheric changes such as rains, storms among many others are considered Aztec gods, which at the time of unleashing their fury against the people, would be the cause of great natural disasters, to a consequence of not having paid their tributes to them, which could change depending on the deity that they seek to satisfy.
The Aztecs were one of the most important and prosperous civilizations of all time, but their beliefs were also influenced by those of the Mayans, creating among all these mythologies the great list of gods that these cultures worshiped.
Who are the Aztec Gods?
The gods have a certain hierarchy and functions, which are divided according to the functions they exercise, as well as the most important ones among which the gods of the 5 suns stand out, which are considered the history of the creation of the earth, and therefore therefore that of this world.
Tlalchitonatiuh or first sun
Tezcatlipoca was recognized as the first sun that illuminated the world for 676 years, at the time of the giants, but at the time of his death, the hunt of the jaguars against the giants began, leaving not a single one alive. It is said that Quetzalcóatl hit the water where it remained with a cane, turning it into the jaguars that ended the life of the man of that world.
Ehecatonatiuh or second sun
In the second age it was Quetzalcóatl who fulfilled the function of the sun, in the reign of the monkey men, this lasted 675 years until the same tezcatlipoca knocked him down with a strong wind that in turn carried away the monkey men.
Tletonatiuh or third sun
This time it was the turn of the god who sprouts, known as Tlaloc, the god of lightning and rain, who lasted 364 years until Quetzalcóatl caused him to fall out of the sky causing him to leave his post.
Atonaliuh or fourth sun
The position of the fourth sun was awarded to Chalchiuhtlicue who was the woman of Tlaloc, who lit the world for 314 years in the time of the fish men, that in the last year of the reign of this deity, torrential rains fell that caused the sky itself to fall. to land, causing these to become all species of fish that exist today.
Fifth Sun
This was the stage in which the creation of man as it is known today happened, a time in which the gods decided that it was time to create an individual to populate the earth, it was at this time that Quetzalcóatl went to the underworld to recover the bones of the fish men, those that would give life to those of this stage.
Being the gods the creators of humanity, sacrifices had to be offered to honor them, for this reason the Aztecs and most of the pre-Hispanic cultures carried out these cults to their deities.
The name of the fifth sun was Tonatiuh who comes from the lands of Teotihuacán, which is the land from which the gods are born or meet.
After all these events, human beings had to show devotion to all their gods, which provided them with food, home and security, each of them having their own characteristics and qualities, which some of the Aztec gods would show as that they represent.
First there are those that are essential for the existence of life, as well as those of greatest relevance in terms of Aztec culture.
Omecihuatl and Ometecuhtli
They are a couple of gods generators of souls, called lord and lady of the divine creation, they are the ones who gave rise to all existence and life in the world, and parents of the other gods. Each one represents the genders, as well as the feminine part, and the masculine part of the creation, working together they are known as Otemeotl
Xipe totec
Pattern of the fertility of all living beings, allowing crops to bear fruit and at the same time they are renewed, as well as giving life to man.
Quetzalcoatl
He is one of the four main children of the couple known as Otemeotl, this is a snake with precious feathers, which represents the wind, and the priests and merdares, as well as the morning light.
Xiuhtecuhtli
It represents food in times of famine, as well as life after death.
The Healing Gods
There are three gods that were associated with the healing processes of the peoples.
dull
Known by the name of "the mother of the gods" or the "night medicine" is the goddess of doctors, herbalists, and fortune tellers, this dominated the fourteenth day of the calendar, born on the day xóchitl which was destined to be a caring goddess and protector of health.
ixtlilton
He is a god associated with parties, dances, festivals, and medicine, he was given the name of the lord of black ink, who had healing qualities in the making of the codices, although his most outstanding characteristic it was that of music because whenever you wanted to organize a party, you resorted to the priests of this god.
His temple was known as the place of the scribe, which in Nahua is Tlacuicolan.
patecatl
The discoverer of pulque is the lord of the thirteen days, from the 1st to the 13th house, he is known as the god of medicine, in the Nauhatl language it means the inhabitant of medicine.
Gods associated with food
Among these are the following four deities:
chicomecoatl
She is the goddess of cleanliness, maintenance, but better known as the great lady of corn, it was she who began the trades of creating delicious meals based on this grain, the Aztecs offered her food that they placed at the feet of her figure in his temple, so that it would give them its blessing in the corn crops, it is also known as Xilonen or the bearded one.
coatlicue
This is better known as a goddess that attracts death, but in turn she is the one that gives life to all crops, because it is the one that provides those properties to the earth, necessary for them to grow, her name translates to black house, and in its temple "Tenochtitlán" there is a figure of her without a head representing not only the goddess of the earth, but also that of the moon.
centeotl
He took refuge in the land generating different inputs for humans, such as corn, he is recognized as a collaborative man and carrier of food.
Associated with the trades
Among the different trades that were within these cultures, there were also the deities that represented them.
yacatecuhtli
He is the lord of the shops, and of the trips, and of the exchanges, in his figure he is represented with an enormous nose that served as a guide for the trips, as a sacrifice they offered him the sacrifice of the life of the slaves.
acolometoctli
Known for being the protector of sailors, represented by two rabbits on boats.
Opochtli
This is recognized as the god who provides luck to hunt, both on land and in the sea referring to fishing, in his offerings he was offered a plate of food with a glass of wine, it was considered that he was the creator of the nets fishing.
tlacotzonfli
The god protector of the roads, he is in charge of providing protection to all those who undertook trips in search of food for his people.
Associated with the stars
They are the Aztec gods of the sky and the stars, among which we find:
maxcoatl
His astrological representation is the Milky Way, he is a god who is considered the cause of wars, the protector of chandlery, and the originator of storms and tempests, his translated name is cloud serpent.
citlaticlue
It represents the brightness of the stars in the sky.
yohualtecuhtli
Associated with nocturnal sleep, which also protected the dreams of infants, also associated with peak periods, death, birth and cremation.
Among these are also the 5 suns that were named above.
Associated with natural phenomena
They are the cause of natural disasters such as earthquakes, or floods.
Tepeyollotl
Usually known for his physical form as a jaguar, he is the god of echoes, the cause of earthquakes.
Atlacoya
Its name translates to sad waters, and represents the black waters or extreme droughts that occurred when their respective offering was not given.
Ayauhteotl
Associated with vanity and fame, she is a goddess who distinguished herself by making mists appear both at night and during the day.
Associated with fertility
tlazolteotl
Known as the lady of sex, associated with passionate love affairs and illicit love affairs.
Cihuacoatl
She was the first woman to give birth, therefore she was proclaimed as the protector goddess of childbirth, and the guide of doctors.
Associated with death
These were all those who were offered lives in exchange for not wiping out the entire population, because they were very angry.
Chalmecatl
This ruled the underworld guiding souls through the shadows, also considered the god of the dead.
teoyaomqui
It represented the dead in wars, which were the souls of the warriors.
Itzli
This god represented the hardness of the world in the form of stone and the sacrifices of lives with knives.
There is an immense variety of gods that the Aztecs worshiped, whether they are from their own culture, or adopted from older ones, but it all basically comes down to the fact that each aspect of life had its own deity that represented it.
Being a really extensive and wonderful mythology, where many rituals were practiced that can be seen from an inhuman point of view due to the sacrifice of innocent lives to satisfy entities that existed beyond this world.
The temples that represent all these Aztec gods, nowadays can be visited, with tour guides, which is an excellent experience, due to the cultural enrichment and learning that this can grant to the people who come to these places.