![]() ![]() ![]() In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli was engaged in a sibling rivalry with his sister and the goddess of the moon, Coyolxauhqui. His shrine sat on top of the pyramid of Templo Mayor in the Aztec capital, and was decorated with skulls and painted red to represent blood. This intrinsically tied up the “hunger” of gods with the Aztec penchant for ritual war. He was also the Aztec god of war and the Aztec sun god, and of Tenochtitlán. Image Credit: John Carter Brown Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Huitzilopochtli, as depicted in the ‘Tovar Codex’ Unlike many other Aztec deities, Huitzilopochtli was intrinsically a Mexica deity with no clear equivalent in earlier Mesoamerican cultures. His nagual or animal spirit was the eagle. Huitzilopochtli was the father of the Aztecs and the supreme god for the Méxica. Huitzilopochtli – ‘The Hummingbird of the South’ Here are 8 of the most important Aztec gods and goddesses. The Aztec gods were divided into three groups, each supervising one aspect of the universe: weather, agriculture and warfare. It is clear, then, that mythology and religion played a key role in Aztec culture. To this day, this story of their great migration from their legendary home of Aztalan is pictured on the coat of arms of Mexico. ![]() And so the city of Tenochtitlán was founded. Believing this vision was a prophesy sent by the god Huitzilopochtli, they decided to build their new home on that exact site. The story goes that they saw an eagle holding a rattlesnake in its talons, perched on a cactus. In 1325 AD, the Aztec people moved to an island in Lake Texcoco to set up their capital, Tenochtitlán. In fact, scholars have identified more than 200 deities within Aztec religion. The Aztecs believed in a complex and diverse pantheon of gods and goddesses. ![]()
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