Huitzilopochtli

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Huitzilopochtli The god of war, sacrifice and the sun. His name means ‘Hummingbird of the South’. He is always shown wearing a headdress made of large feathers and wielding the turquoise snake, Xiuhcoatl, as a weapon. visit twinkl.com Tlaloc The god of rain and water. Aztecs would pray to Tlaloc for rain to help their crops grow although he could also send storms if he was angry. He is often shown with fangs and large eyes. visit twinkl.com Tezcatlipoca The god of the night, magic and the earth. His name means ‘smoking mirror’. His sacred animal is the jaguar and he is usually shown with yellow and black stripes across his face. visit twinkl.com Chicomecoatl The goddess of agriculture, nourishment and corn. Her name means ‘seven snakes’. She is usually shown as a young girl carrying flowers. visit twinkl.com Quetzalcoatl The god of life and wind. His name means ‘feathered serpent’. Aztecs believe that Quetzalcoatl created mankind. He is often shown as a feathered serpent which could fly (similar to a dragon). visit twinkl.com Xochiquetzal The goddess of beauty and art. She is usually shown as a young, beautiful woman wearing fancy clothes. She looked after mothers and people who made beautiful things, such as craftspeople. visit twinkl.com Chalchiuhtlicue The goddess of rivers and lakes. Her name means ‘she of the jade skirt’. She is also sometimes seen as the protector of navigators. She is usually shown wearing a tasselled headdress and a skirt with a stream of water flowing out of it. visit twinkl.com Mixcoatl The god of the hunt and the stars. His name means ‘cloud serpent’. He is usually shown with a mask over his eyes and white and red stripes all over his body. Mixcoatl uses a harpoon (called Amhimitl) as a weapon. visit twinkl.com Xolotl The god of fire, lightning and death. Aztecs believed that Xolotl guarded the sun and travelled through the underworld every night. He is shown as a vicious dog. visit twinkl.com Mictlantecuhtli The god of the dead and ruler of the underworld. He is associated with creatures such as bats, owls and spiders. He is usually shown wearing a skull mask. visit twinkl.com Chantico The goddess of fire and the hearth. Her name means ‘she who dwells in the house’. She is usually shown as having a yellow body with red lines on her face and sitting on a chair. visit twinkl.com Patecatl The god of medicine and healing. He gave the Aztecs a medicine which helped with healing and surgery called ‘peyote’. visit twinkl.com Tepeyollotl The god of earthquakes, echoes and jaguars. He is usually shown as a jaguar holding a staff with green feathers. The spots on his coat are said to represent the stars in the sky. visit twinkl.com Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli The god of the dawn. Aztecs believe that he represents the star of Venus in the night sky and helps to hold up the sky. He can cause harm to people by shooting darts. visit twinkl.com Xochipilli The god of art, dance, flowers and song. His name means ‘flower prince’. He is usually shown wearing a teardrop-shaped pendant and sitting on a throne with plants around him. visit twinkl.com.

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Aztec Mythology
Aztec Mythology One of the main things that must be appreciated about Aztec mythology is that it has both similarities and differences to European polytheistic religions. The idea of what a god was, and how they acted, was not the same between the two cultures. Along with all other native American religions, the Aztec faith developed from the Shamanism brought by the first migrants over the Bering Strait, and developed independently of influences from across the Atlantic (and Pacific). The concept of dualism is one that students of Chinese religions should be aware of; the idea of balance was primary in this belief system. Gods were not entirely good or entirely bad, being complex characters with many different aspects and their own desires and motivations. This is highlighted by the relation between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca. When the Spanish arrived with their European sensibilities, they were quick to name one good and one evil, identifying Quetzalcoatl with Christ and Tezcatlipoca with Satan during their attempts to integrate the Nahua peoples into Christianity. But to the Aztecs neither god would have been “better” than the other; they are just different and opposing sides of the same duality. Indeed, their identities are rather nebulous, with Quetzalcoatl often being referred to as “White Tezcatlipoca” and Tezcatlipoca as “Black Quetzalcoatl”. The Mexica, as is explained in the history section, came from North of Mexico in a location they named “Aztlan” (from which Europeans developed the term Aztec). During their migration south they were exposed to and assimilated elements of several native religions, including those of the Toltecs, Mayans, and Zapotecs.
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