The Gods of Mexico
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The Gods of the Sun, Moon, and Stars |
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Tonatiuh - the Sun God.
Ruler of the Sun and of the House of the Sun, Tonatiuhchan. Before the
Fifth Sun was created, when there was no sun, he was Nanahuatzin, the "Scabby God." His
sacrifice by fire created the current sun. He is also known as Piltzintecuhtli, the
"Young Prince."
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![[Tonatiuh]](../../../simages/aztec/gods/tonatiuh.jpg) |
| Tonatiuh
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Tecciztecatl - the Moon God.
Also known as Metzli, the Lunar God. In the story of the birth of the
Fifth Sun, Tecciztecatl was the "Rich God"
who feared sacrificing himself and therefore lost his chance to be the new Sun.
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Tlazolteotl - Goddess of the Moon, Goddess of Lust.
Tlazolteotl has many functions and presents many faces. As Ixcuina,
the Fourfold Goddess, she represents the four phases of the moon: The New Moon, the Young
Girl-child; the ascending half-moon, the Nubile Maiden; the Full Moon, the Mother; the
descending half-moon, the Crone. She is sometimes called Teteo Innan, "Mother of the
Gods," and Toci, "Our grandmother,"
since the maize-god Centeotl is her son. She is also the Goddess of Lust - to her the young
women who lived in the Warrior's School, the Telpuchcalli, and whose role was to keep
the warriors satisfied sexually, were dedicated - and the ultimate witch, the patroness of the
sorcerer; she sometimes rides a broom. She is also
the Filth-Eater, able to consume man's sins and dispose of them. She is all women in one,
the woman-warrior and the passionate lover. the crone. Crossroads are sacred to her. Some would
disagree, but I think she is the same as Coyolxauhqui, the Moon-Goddess defeated by
Huitzilopochtli in Mexica lore.
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![[Tlazolteotl]](../../../simages/aztec/gods/tlazol2.jpg)
![[Tlazolteotl]](../../../simages/aztec/gods/tlazol1.jpg) |
| Tlazolteotl
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Quetzalcoatl - The Plumed Serpent, Lord of the Air.
Quetzalcoatl is the giver of life, the giver of knowledge. When a child is
born, it is Quetzalcoatl who gives him or her the first breath. He is the patrons of priests
and men of knowledge; he teaches the method of sacrifice though he finds it abhorrent. As
Ehecatl he is the Lord of the Wind, of the Hurricane; as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli
he is the Lord of the Morning Star, bringer of the Dawn.
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![[Tlahuizalpantecuhtli]](../../../simages/aztec/gods/tlahuiz.jpg) |
| Tlahuizalpantecuhtli
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Tezcatlipoca - The Smoking Mirror, Lord of the Night Sky.
Quetzalcoatl's ancient enemy; the tension between them maintains Ollin,
it keeps the world moving. The ruler of the North, Tezcatlipoca is a God of War, a God of
Sacrifice, a God of Fate;
he is also known as Yaotl (The Enemy), as Titlacuan (He Whose Slaves We Are), and as Chalchihuitotlin (Jade Fowl). As Yohualli Ehecatl he is the Spirit of the
Night Wind, as Itzli he is the Spirit of the Knife, as Itzlacoliuhqui he is the
Lord of Snow and Ice.
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![[Itzli]](../../../simages/aztec/gods/itzli.jpg) |
| Itzli
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The Centzon Huitznahuac and the Centzon Mimixcoa
The "400 Northerners" and the "400 Southerners." The gods of the
stars in the skies. "400" always means "innumerable." Unless, of course, it means 399+1.
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