![]() He was also identified with the planet Venus. As the patron of science and learning, Quetzalcoatl invented the calendar and books. His nagual was a mix of bird and rattlesnake, his name combining the Nahuatl words for quetzal (“the emerald plumed bird”) and coatl (“serpent”). He plays a key role in other Mesoamerican cultures such as Teotihuacan and the Maya. Tezcatlipoca’s brother Quetzalcoatl was the god of winds and rain, intelligence and self-reflection. In Nahuatl, his name translates to “smoking mirror”. The eternal antithesis of his brother Quetzalcóatl, the lord of the night carries with him an obsidian mirror. However Tezcatlipoca represented an evil power, often associated with death and cold. Tezcatlipoca was one of the most important gods in post-classic Mesoamerican culture and the supreme deity for the Toltecs – Nahua-speaking warriors from the north.Īztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca together created the world. Huitzilopochtli’s rival as the most important Aztec god was Tezcatlipoca: god of the nocturnal sky, of ancestral memory, and of time. Huitzilopochtli was believed to be accompanied by the spirits of fallen warrior, whose spirits would return to earth as hummingbirds, and the spirits of women who died during childbirth. And so the sun and the moon were in a constant battle for control of the sky. 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. Quick tip: Aztec names ending in ‘tl’ are usually pronounced as a soft ‘t’ ‒ like ‘tuh’.The Aztecs believed in a complex and diverse pantheon of gods and goddesses. So if you’re not sure on the Xochitl pronunciation or how to pronounce Tenochtitlan names, we’ve got you covered, with pronunciations throughout. We think of Aztec as an ancient civilization, but they actually lived between the 14th and 16th centuries ‒ the Mayan civilization, on which Aztec was based, is the older of the two societies.Ī lot of Aztec names are based on Aztec gods, Mesoamerican culture, and all things natural ‒ think flowers, weather, animals…įrom Ácatl to Zyanya, you’ll find all the best Aztec baby names here, complete with meanings and proper Aztec pronunciations! Nahuatl was one of the primary languages of the Aztecs, mainly spoken in central and western Mexico, and it’s still spoken by about 1.5 million people in Central Mexico today!Īztec people were mainly based in Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City, so if you have relatives nearby, or you’re from Mexico, you could have some Aztec ancestors!Īztec people are also referred to as Tenochtitlan and Nahuatl ‒ after their main city and language. In this list, you’ll find lots of Aztec girl names, Aztec names for boys, and some gender-neutral Nahuatl names, too. Aztec baby names are strong and beautiful, with powerful meanings, so if you’re looking to honor your Mesoamerican heritage, why not consider one of our top Nahuatl names?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |