Aztec mythology is the body or collection of myths of the Aztec civilization of Central Mexico. The Aztecs were Nahuatl -speaking groups living in central Mexico and much of their mythology is similar to that of other Mesoamerican cultures. According to legend, the various groups who became the Aztecs arrived from the North into the Anahuac valley around Lake Texcoco . The location of this valley and lake of destination is clear – it is the heart of modern Mexico City – but little can be known with certainty about the origin of the Aztec. There are different accounts of their origin. In the myth, the ancestors of the Mexica/Aztec came from a place in the north called Aztlan , the last of seven nahuatlacas (Nahuatl-speaking tribes, from tlaca , "man") to make the journey southward, hence their name "Azteca." Other accounts cite their origin in Chicomoztoc , "the place of the seven caves", or at Tamoanchan (the legendary origin of all civilizations).
13-531: In Mexica mythology , the Centzon Tōtōchtin ( Nahuatl pronunciation: [sent͡son toːˈtoːt͡ʃtin] "four-hundred rabbits "; also Centzontōtōchtin ) are a group of divine rabbits who meet for frequent drunken parties. They include Tepoztecatl , Texcatzonatl , Colhuatzincatl , Macuiltochtli ("five-rabbit"), and Ometochtli ("two-rabbit"). Their parents are Patecatl and Mayahuel and they may be brothers of Ixtlilton . This article relating to
26-523: A myth or legend from Mesoamerica is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mexica mythology The Mexica/Aztec were said to be guided by their patron war-god Huitzilopochtli , meaning "Left-handed Hummingbird " or "Hummingbird from the South." At an island in Lake Texcoco , they saw an eagle , perched on a nopal cactus, holding a rattlesnake in its talons. This vision fulfilled
39-522: A bonfire to sacrifice the next volunteer. Two gods – Nanahuatzin and Tecciztecatl – vied for the honor. Nanahuatzin , a poor god, was chosen because he could be spared. Proud Tecciztecatl insisted on the honor, but at the last moment hesitated. Nanahuatzin showed more courage and jumped into the fire. Tecciztecatl gained his courage and followed Nanahuatzin, thus forming two suns in the sky. The gods, being somewhat class conscious, were angry that rich and proud Tecciztecatl had to follow humble Nanahuatzin, threw
52-561: A prophecy telling them that they should found their new home on that spot. The Aztecs built their city of Tenochtitlan on that site, building a great artificial island , which today is in the center of Mexico City . This legendary vision is pictured on the Coat of Arms of Mexico . According to legend, when the Mexica arrived in the Anahuac valley around Lake Texcoco , they were considered by
65-515: A rabbit at Tecciztecatl leaving an imprint of the rabbit's shape and dimming Tecciztecatl's brightness to the point where he could only be seen at night. In some depictions, Tecciztecatl carried a large, white seashell on his back, tēucciztli in Nahuatl, representing the Moon itself; in others he had butterfly wings. He was a son of Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue . This article relating to
78-466: A universe dominated by generations of sun gods , the current one, known as Tonatiuh , was the fifth. The first three previous suns perished by wind storms, jaguars and fiery rain. The fourth was wiped out by a flood when people turned into fish and spread through the ocean. After the fourth sun perished, the Aztecs believed that the gods assembled to decide which god was to become the next sun. They built
91-539: The Toltecs and the cult of Quetzalcoatl with the legendary city of Tollan , which they also identified with the more ancient Teotihuacan. Because the Aztecs adopted and combined several traditions with their own earlier traditions, they had several creation myths . One of these, the Five Suns , describes four great ages preceding the present world, each of which ended in a catastrophe, and "were named in function of
104-498: The fire and became the moon. Tecuciztecatl In Aztec mythology , Tecciztecatl ( Classical Nahuatl : Tēcciztēcatl [teːk.sis.ˈteː.kat͡ɬ] , "person from Tēcciztlān," a place name meaning "Place of the Conch," from tēcciztli or "conch"; also Tecuciztecatl , Teucciztecatl, from the variant form tēucciztli ) was a lunar deity , representing the " Man in the Moon ". The Aztecs believed that they were living in
117-490: The force or divine element that violently put an end to each one of them". Coatlicue was the mother of Centzon Huitznahua ("Four Hundred Southerners"), her sons, and Coyolxauhqui , her daughter. At some point, she found a ball of feathers and placed it in her waistband, thus becoming pregnant with Huitzilopochtli . Her other children became suspicious as to the identity of the father, and vowed to kill their mother. She gave birth on Mount Coatepec, pursued by her children, but
130-411: The gods, Tecuciztecatl , was supposed to sacrifice himself but when it came time to self-immolate, he could not jump into the fire. Instead, Nanahuatl the smallest and humblest of the gods, who was also covered in boils, sacrificed himself first, and jumped into the flames. The sun was set into motion with his sacrifice, and time began. Humiliated by Nanahuatl's sacrifice, Tecuciztecatl, too, leaped into
143-454: The newborn Huitzilopochtli (born fully armed and prepared to fight) defeated most of his brothers, who then became the stars. He also killed his half-sister, Coyolxauhqui , by tearing out her heart using Xiuhcoatl (a blue snake) and throwing her body down the mountain. This was said to inspire the Aztecs to rip the hearts out of their human sacrifices and throw their bodies down the sides of the temple dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, who represents
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#1732794338487156-509: The other groups as the least civilized of all, but the Mexica decided to learn... and they took in all that they could from the other people, especially from the ancient Toltec (whom they seem to have partially confused with the more ancient civilization of Teotihuacan ). To the Aztec, the Toltec were the originators of all culture; " Toltecayotl " was a synonym for culture. Aztec legends identify
169-460: The sun, chasing away the stars at dawn. Our age ( Nahui-Ollin ), the fifth age , or fifth creation, began in the ancient city of Teotihuacan . According to the myth, all the gods had gathered to sacrifice themselves and create a new age. Although the world and the sun had already been created, it would only be through their sacrifice that the sun would be set into motion, and time (as well as history, could begin.) The strongest and most handsome of
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