Mexican mythology

Huitzilopochtli, the main deity of the myth of creation.

The Mexica mythology is the set of traditional Nahua myths and legends of the Mexica or Aztec people. The reality of Nahua creation is an extension and cultural complex from before the arrival of the Mexicas in the Valley of Mexico. Upon assimilating, these changed their own gods, trying to place them on the same level as the old gods of the pantheon.

There is a dominant cult over the other Aztec gods: that of their god of the Sun and of war, Huitzilopochtli. The Aztecs considered themselves the people chosen by the Sun, in charge of guaranteeing its journey through the sky, feeding it. This sentiment was reinforced by the social and religious reform of Tlacaélel under the reign of the emperors Itzcóatl, Moctezuma I and Axayácatl in the mid-15th century.

The myth of the creation of the world of the Aztecs expands this idea. Pre-Hispanic religions were formed through a slow evolution and assimilation of the pre-Hispanic gods, not so much as beings of unlimited power, but often as incarnations of the forces of nature with human personality.

The tlahmatinimeh (Nahua wise men) tried to give some order to this multitude of gods, so we have first of all the creator gods, or Ipalnemowani, word Nahua meaning "the one for whom you live" and, since in Nahuatl the plural did not exist except for animate nouns, there has been much speculation about a possible monotheistic tendency of the Aztecs. Although this interpretation may be caused by the Western monotheistic influence by not valuing the importance in the Nahuatl culture of the concept of creative duality.

The creator gods were in the first place, Ometéotl (ōme 'two'; teotl 'god') the principle of creative duality that in turn engendered itself same as origin and effect to Ometecuhtli (ōme 'two'; teuctli 'lord'), masculine element of origin, and Omecihuatl (ōme ' dos'; cihuatl: 'lady'), feminine element of origin. Four main governing elements arose from them: Tezcatlipoca (lord of the black mirror) and Quetzalcóatl (feathered serpent), creators of the world, Tláloc (lord of water) and Ehécatl (lord of the wind) providers of rain and life; Another name given to these gods is Moyocoyani Tloque Nahuaque ("The inventor of himself" or "The Lord of what is close and what is together"). Most of the surviving Nahuatl poetry uses these names to refer to the creator gods.

Then there would be the patron gods, who were in charge of watching over each town. According to an ancient legend, when the Nahua groups (the Nahuatlaca tribes) left Aztlán, each of them brought with them their 'sacred bundle', which contained the relics of their patron god. Huitzilopochtli was the patron god of the Mexica, but they also respected the gods of other peoples. Next to the Templo Mayor, they built a special temple for the patron gods of all the conquered peoples, similar to the Pantheon of the Romans.

There were gods dedicated to every profession and aspect of life. Xipe Tótec, god of greening, was adopted as the god of silversmiths, Nanahuatzin, of skin diseases and humility, Tlazoltéotl, goddess of physical love and prostitutes, etc. There were also some gods of family origin, but little is known about them. Most of these gods predate the Aztecs and are shared by the other Nahua peoples, or others nearby.

The legend of the five suns

According to the Aztecs, they believed that other worlds existed before theirs. According to them there were four worlds before or suns as they called them, each ruled by a specific god, a unique human race and devastated by a different natural phenomenon. Each of these suns was linked with the basic elements: Earth, water, air and fire. Each of these was related not only to nature and its composition but also to its destruction.

There are several versions of this myth since the information is not complete and the order tends to change. This version is based on the History of the Mexicans for his paintings where the order of the suns is the first sun, the second sun, the third sun, the fourth sun and the fifth sun.

Origin of the world

After the devastation of the four suns, Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca are recognized by the recreation of the earth and the sky, not as enemies but as allies. According to the Aztec creation myth, Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca create heaven and earth by dismembering the earth monster Tlaltecuhtli, which means "lord of the earth", despite the fact that in the texts it can be found a feminine description of this monster. It is said that Tlaltecuhtli combined with another monster, the great alligator, which with its crocodile back shaped the mountains of the world. This myth was spread throughout Mexico, which is why it reached the Mayan culture of Yucatan.

One of the versions of this myth says that Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca descended from heaven to observe Tlaltecuhtli, when they did so they saw that his desire for fresh meat was so great that he not only had jaws full of sharp teeth, but also he had gnashing dentures on his shoulders, knees, and other joints. Seeing this, the gods agreed that the creation could not be completed while the monster was in the way. Then, to create the Earth, Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca transformed into great serpents. One of them took Tlaltecuhtli's left hand and right foot, while the other took her by her right hand and left foot and between the two of them dismembered the monster. The upper part of the monster created the earth while the lower part was the sky.

This violent act of dismembering the monster made the other gods angry, so they decided that to comfort the earth, all the plants that man will need to live would grow from it, from its hair grew trees, flowers and herbs and grass and small flowers would grow from its skin; his eyes would be the source of the streams, lagoons and small caves; his mouth would be the great rivers and caverns and his nose would be the crest of the mountains and valleys. The legend says that the scream of the monster could be heard at night thirsty for blood and for the hearts of the people and this could only be calmed through sacrifices offering meat and blood to calm Tlaltecuhtli and to continue giving the fruits needed for human life to continue.

First Sun: Tezcatlipoca

Tezcatlipoca was the first sun to light the world and the other gods created the giants, very strong men, who ate acorns from holm oaks. Tezcatlipoca was the sun for 676 years. When Tezcatlipoca ceased to be the sun, all the giants were eaten by jaguars and none remained. Tezcatlipoca stopped being the sun because Quetzalcóatl hit him with a great stick and threw him into the water, from where he came out transformed into a jaguar to eat the giants. This world disappeared due to tremors and man was devoured by jaguars.

Second sun: Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcóatl was the sun of the second age, inhabited by ape-men, who fed on pine nuts. Quetzalcóatl was the sun for 675 years, until Tezcatlipoca struck him down and raised a strong wind that carried Quetzalcóatl and the ape-men away.

Third sun: Tlaloc

Tlalocatecutli, known as Tlaloc "the one who makes sprouts", god of rain and lightning, was the sun and lasted 364 years. During this age the ape-men ate acicintli is what we know today as teosinte "seed like wheat that is born in water". But Quetzalcóatl rained down fire from heaven, removed Tlaloc and was replaced by his wife Chalchiuhtlicue.

Fourth Sun: Chalchiuhtlicue

Chalchiuhtlicue lasted 312 years giving birth to the fish-men, who at that time ate cincocopi, seed like corn. The last year that Chalchiuhtlicue was sun, it rained in such a way that the skies fell and the fish-men were carried away by the waters and became all kinds of fish that there are.

Fifth sun: Tonatiuh

The Creation of Man

The gods decided that since there was a new world, the recreation of man was necessary to populate the Earth. According to the myth, Quetzalcóatl had to go to the underworld to recover the human bones of the last era, that is, the race that was turned into fish by the flood.

The underworld was a dangerous place known as Mictlán, ruled by Mictlantecuhtli, lord of the underworld. The following verse is the version of Histoyre du mechique and of the Leyenda de los Soles. Once there, Quetzalcóatl asked Mictlantecuhtli and his wife, Mictecacíhuatl, the lady of the underworld, for the bones of the ancestors:

... and then Quetzalcóatl went to Mictlán. He approached Mictlantecuhtli; and he said, "I have come for the bones, the precious bones, the jade bones," said Quetzalcóatl. "Can I with them populate the earth?" and Mictlantecuhtli replied, "You can take away what I keep so carefully with one condition - that they parade four times around my throne by blowing with this shell." Unfortunately the Lord of Mictlán gave his consent. He gave Quetzalcóatl a snail shell that had no holes for his fingers. But boring worms created holes and bees flew inside to make the sound. Quetzalcóatl had to act quickly to take the bones. The Lord of Mictlán finally gave the order for the bones to recover, but Quetzalcóatl thought it was a trick. Consequently, Quetzalcóatl started running. Then the lord of Mictlán ordered a well to dig into the way of the fleeing god, falling into it. Quetzalcóatl eventually revives, but the bones are broken, and hence there are human beings in all sizes.

Once beyond the dead land, along with other gods, he sprinkled them with his own blood, restoring life. Thus, humanity has been born from the penance of the gods.

And this gift had to be canceled in the blood of the sacrifice. "What else could it be, motivated the ancients, since death preceded its reappearance, death must be the cause of Life?"

The birth of Tonatiuh

It is said that the birth of the fifth sun took place in Teotihuacán, considered the place where time begins. After the creation of the earth, man, his food and his drink, the gods met in the dark at Teotihuacán to decide who would be the new sun:

It is said that when everything was in darkness, when there was no sun that illuminated the dawn or sunset, the gods convened a meeting between them in Teotihuacán. There they asked, "Gods, come here!" who is to carry the burden? who will take on himself the weight of being the sun and bringing the dawn?

An arrogant god named Tecuciztecatl quickly volunteered, however, the gods decided to choose a humble god named Nanahuatzin (god who split the rock of sustenance to get the corn) as the second contender. Like all warriors, he accepts his duty and his debt to the other gods. Two pyramids were raised for Tecuciztecatl and Nanahuatzin to fast and do penance, while the sacrificial pyre was prepared. It is what we know today as the pyramids of the sun and the moon.

The offering that Tecuciztecatl made was made of the finest materials. Instead of fir branches he wore quetzal feathers, and golden balls instead of tied bundles of grass. Instead of the maguey thorns with her blood, he offered jade awls tipped with red coral, just as his incense was one of the finest and rarest there was.

On the other hand, the materials of the Nanahuatzin offering were of little value; for his fir branches and bundles of grass he used bundles of reed. He offered the maguey thorns with his blood, as well as for incense he burned his own scabs.

At midnight, after four days of penance, the gods prepared Tecuciztecatl with large ornaments while Nanahuatzin dressed in simple paper garments. Then the gods formed a circle around the sacrificial pyre that had been burning for four days. The first to be named was Tecuciztecatl, however, when trying to jump into the fire, fear paralyzed him. This happened three times until the gods decided to call Nanahuatzin, who threw herself into the fire without hesitation. It was then that Tecuciztécatl, seeing the value of Nanahuatzin, decided to throw himself down, just as the eagle and the jaguar were also sacrificed.

That's why the tips of the eagle's feathers are white and the jaguar's skin is stained with fire burns. After the death of Nanahuatzin and Tecuciztécatl, the gods waited for someone to appear in the sky, when suddenly the sky began to fill with light. The gods began to search for the place where Nanahuatzin would come out and some knew that he would come out in the east, rising as Tonatiuh, the fifth sun.

Creation story according to the ancient Mexicans

Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca

In the story of Nahuatl cosmogony, the creation of the universe, it is mentioned that in the beginning there was only one heaven, which they called the thirteenth, in which lived a divine couple, Ometecuhtli and Omecíhuatl, who procreated four children, the firstborn was Tlatlauhqui-tezcatlipoca (Red Tezcatlipoca), who was particularly adored by the Tlaxcalans and Huejotzincas under the name of Camaxtli, but assimilated by the Mexicas as Xipe Tótec, "Our Lord the Skinned One"; the second son was Yayauhqui-tezcatlipoca (Tezcatlipoca Negro); the third was Iztauhqui-tezcatlipoca (White Tezcatlipoca), assimilated by the Mexica as Quetzalcóatl; the fourth was Xoxoauhqui-tezcatlipoca (Blue Tezcatlipoca), assimilated by the Mexica as Huitzilopochtli.

These four gods, after 600 years of inactivity, met and conferred about what they should order and the laws they should impose on what they created, and having agreed, they entrusted Quetzalcóatl and Huitzilopochtli with the responsibility of creating to the Half Sun, which gave little light because it was not whole.

The Mexica numenas transform, multiply their personality to be able to fulfill all their divine actions, in this way a deity can be benevolent or malevolent, be the mother of its own grandmother, destroy what it has procreated, be dynamic and static, omnipresent, ubiquitous, ambivalent, multifaceted, and therefore have as many names as actions it performs, and as many characteristics as its nature requires.

The Nahuas had several myths of creation, the result of the integration of different cultures. In one of them, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcóatl realize that the gods felt empty and needed company. So they needed to create the land. There was only an immense sea, where Tlaltecuhtli lived, the monster of the earth. To attract it, Tezcatlipoca offered his foot as bait and the monster came out and ate it. Before he could submerge, the two gods seized him and stretched him out to give the earth its shape. His eyes turned into lagoons, his tears into rivers, his orifices into caves. After that, the gods gave him the gift of vegetation to comfort his pain. And later he took on the task of creating the first men.

Even so, the two stars remain inert in the sky and it is essential to feed them to make them move. Then other gods decide to sacrifice themselves and give the "precious water" which is necessary to create blood. Therefore, men are compelled to eternally recreate the original divine sacrifice.

Ancient Nahua Pantheon

Primordials

Jointly called Ometeotl, they are the original couple that emerged from the substance or dual principle Omeyotl:

• Ometecuhtli, Nahuatl ome (two) and Sir (also called) Tonacatecuhtli), is the god of duality, pre-generator/is of souls and master of Creation.
• Omecihuatl, Nahuatl ome (two) and woman (also called) Tonacacihuatl), is the goddess of duality, pre-generator/is of souls and lady of Creation.

Main

• Huitzilopochtli (also Mextli, Mexitl, Uitzilopochtli): the great god of Tenochtitlan, patron of war, fire and sun. Guide, protector and patron of the Aztecs (To whom he ordered to be called Mexicas from that moment) from his departure from Aztlan. His name means Colibrí Zurdo (O left) or Colibrí del Sur.
• Quetzalcóatl: Snake of precious feathersGod, creator and patron of the government, priests and merchants. Associated with Ehécatl as a divine wind. Also associated with Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli as the morning light (the planet Venus). One of the four children of the first couple.
• Tezcatlipoca (also Omácatl, Titlacauan(c): The Humeran Mirror, omnipotent god of rulers, wizards and warriors; night, death, discord, conflict, temptation and change; he gave and took away wealth and was the protector of the slaves. Sinister Quetzalcóatl rival in many myths. It can appear as a jaguar, in addition to its many other Tonals.
• Tláloc (also Nuhualpilli(c): The one who makes things go away, Liqueur of the Earth, large and ancient supplier and god of rain, fertility and lightning. One of the four children of the first couple (Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl). God creator and one of the four suns. He was one of the oldest gods in all Mesoamerica and had a twin temple next to Huitzilipochtli in Tenochtitlan.
• Xipe Totec Our Lord Desolate: God of seasons, of spring, the germination of seeds and the renewal of vegetation; besides fertility. He was considered the boss of the goldsmiths. He was sometimes identified with Mixcoatl, especially as the recipient of gladiatory sacrifices and by arrow.
• Xiuhtecuhtli: God of fire, the personification of life after death, light in darkness and food in times of famine.

Celestials

Tepeyollotl

• Citlalicue: Star Dress, a creator of the stars.
• Coyolxauhqui: Cascabeles or The Cascabeles in the Cara, legendary sister of Huitzilopochtli and patron of the Milky Way.^{[chuckles]required]}
• Ehécatl (also Ehécatl-Quetzalcóatl): God of the wind and creator of the earth, the heavens and the current race of men when they rescue the bones of the old men of Mictlán, in their advocation of Quetzalcóatl. As a god of the West, he is one of those holding the sky. It was blowing the wind that cleaned the way of the Tlaloque (lower rain, Tláloc assistants).
• Metztli (also Meztli, Tecuciztécatl, Tecciztécatl): goddess of the moon, the night and the farmers. He also identifies with a god of worms, of low rank, who failed to sacrifice himself to become the Sun, and became the Moon, his face darkened by a rabbit.
• Mixcoatlsnake): god of hunting, war and Milky Way.
• Mixtli: Goddess of the clouds. It belongs to the Nauhtzonteo who are the 1600 gods that were born of the giant Tecpatl who bore the primordial goddess Omecihuatl in Chicomóztoc. Therefore, her father and mother was only the goddess Omecihuatl.
• Nanahuatzin (also Nana, Nanautzin, Nanahuatl or Nanauatzin): low-ranking god who sacrificed himself to become the Sun Tonatiuh god, in the proof that Tecuciztécatl failed.
• Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli: god of the east, god of the colourful rosy of the aurora, and therefore of the “star of the dawn” (the planet Venus, which makes it a manifestation of Quetzalcóatl). He is one of those who hold the heavens.
• Tlalchitonatiuh represents the low sun.
• Tletonatiuh: It was one of the four Aztec suns. It is the "fire sun", under whose influence humans were exterminated by the fallen fire of the sky and transformed into various animals such as dogs, birds, etc.
• Tonatiuh The Luminous or The Heat: Sun God and warrior of the heavens who shot their luminous darts at the four cardinal points at dawn, associated with eagles. Identified with Huitzilopochtli. He was represented with the glyph of the movement (ollin). It was also the regent of paradise to which the warriors were killed in battle, the sacrificed in their honor and the women who died in the first childbirth.
• Xólotl Twin: Represented as a dark dog, twin of the god Quetzalcóatl. It was considered the “Vepertine star” (the planet Venus), contrary to its twin, the “Matutine star” (Venus at dawn, or Quetzalcóatl). It represented the dark aspects of the duality of twins.
• Yohualtecuhtli was the Aztec goddess of the night, and protected the children's dream.
• Xitlali: Goddess of the stars, siginifca Light of the stars, Morning Star, triumphal light or hope.

Phenomenal

• Atlacoya: goddess of drought.
• Ayauhtéotl: goddess of witch and fog; it is seen in the mornings or in the nights. He associates it with vanity and fame.
• Tepeyóllotl: Heart of the Mountain, jaguar god, associated with echoes and earthquakes.

Aquatic

Chalchitlicue

• Acuecucyoticihuati: goddess of the seas, the rivers and the water that runs. Its representation is of a woman giving birth, and it is considered one of the representations of Chalchitlicue.
• Achane: God of the waters of the depths. Of the creatures that dwell in the waters of the seas and oceans. Spouse of the goddess Atlatona.
• Ameyalli: Goddess of the births of water that come from the depths. It belongs to the Nauhtzonteo who are the 1600 gods that were born of the giant Tecpatl who bore the primordial goddess Omecihuatl in Chicomóztoc. Therefore his father and mother was only the goddess Omecihuatl.
• Amimitl: God of the lakes and gentler of the storms. It belongs to the Nauhtzonteo who are the 1600 gods that were born of the giant Tecpatl who bore the primordial goddess Omecihuatl in Chicomóztoc. Therefore his father and mother was only the goddess Omecihuatl.
• Atl: A primordial goddess of the waters, mother of the marine monster Cipactli.
• Atlacamani: Goddess of marine storms.
• Atlatonin or Atlatonan: goddess of the coasts.
• Atlahtli: Goddess of the streams. It belongs to the Nauhtzonteo who are the 1600 gods that were born of the giant Tecpatl who bore the primordial goddess Omecihuatl in Chicomóztoc. Therefore his father and mother was only the goddess Omecihuatl.
• Atlaua or Atlahua: Lord of the Watersa god of water, patron of fishermen and archers.
• Chalchiuhtlatónal: A lower goddess of water.
• Chalchitlicue: La de la Falda de Verde Jade, water goddess and wife of Tláloc. Main goddess of the seas.
• Matlalcehuitl (also Matlalcueje): Goddess of the avocados and of the singing, servant of the goddess Chalchitlicue.

Fire

Chantico

• Camaxtli: god of hunting, war, fate and fire. He was one of the creators of the world.
• Chantico: heavenly fire goddess, personal treasures and volcanoes.
• Huehuetéotl (also Ueueteotl, Xiuhtecuhtli, Xiutechuhtli): ancient God of the heart, the fire of life. Associated with the Polar Star and the North, it is one of those holding the sky. His name means Old God.
• Paynaltón: the messenger of Huitzilopochtli.
• Xocotl: Star God associated with fire.

Food

Centéotl

• Centéotl: also Cinteotl or Centeocihuatl, main god of corn, son of Tlazotéotl. He was dedicated to the fourth month of the year.
• Chicomecóatl (also Chalchiuhcihuatl, Chiccoméccatlor Xilonen(c): Seven Serpent new corn goddess, wife of Centéotlparticularly venerated by the huaxtecos.
• Coatlicue: The one of the Serpent FaldeCoyolxauhqui's mother, the Centzon Huitznahuaand Huitzilopochtli. God of the earth.
• Xilonen:’ Barbuda’, the goddess of jilote

Fertility

Xochiquétzal

• Chiconahui: a domestic goddess of fertility.
• Temazcalteci (also Temaxcaltechi or Tozi- goddess of the baths, goddess grandmother, heart of the earth and mother of the gods. Associated with the party and the war.
• Teteoinnan: mother of the gods.
• Tlazolteotl: is the goddess of beauty and sensual love.
• Toci: Grandmother of the Gods, lady of health, of the Temas, heart of the earth and lady of the textiles, was syncretized by Saint Anne
• Tonantzin (also Omecíhuatl) Mother of Quetzalcóatl, formerly had her chapel on the hill of Tepeyac, was destroyed by the Spaniards and was created there the present Villa of Guadalupe.
• Tzítzmitl: old grandmother goddess.
• Xochipilli Prince Flora: Young god of parties, painting, dance, games, singing, love and writing. He punished those who did not keep fast with secret illnesses. Identified with Macuilxóchitl and related to Centéotl.
• Xochiquétzal Flor de la Rica Pen or Beautiful Flora: Goddess of female sexuality, flowers, pleasure, handicrafts, tissue, dance, singing and young mothers. See Ichpuchtli and Ahuilteotl.
• Cihuacóatl: first woman to give birth, considered to be the protector of childbirth
• Tonacacíhuatl: Goddess wife of Tonacatecuhtli
• Tonacatecuhtli: a mexican god of fertility. During the creation of the world he divided it into land and ocean.

Vices

Mayahuel

• Huehuecóyotl (also Ueuecoyotl(c): Old Coyote, a bromist and indulgent god, lord of promiscuity and wild places. Capable of changing shape, he is associated with drums and coyote.
• Macuilcozcacuauhtli: The Five BuitreOne of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excesses).
• Macuilcuetzpalin: The Five LizardOne of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excesses).
• Macuilmalinalli: The Five IronOne of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excesses).
• Macuiltochtli: The Five RabbitOne of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excesses).
• Macuilxóchitl: The Five Flowers, god of games and game, and head of the AhuiateteoGods of excesses.
• Mayahuel (also Mayahualor Mayóuel): maguey goddess, and by extension, alcohol.
• Ometochtli (Ometochtli)The God Rabbit): drunken rabbit god, head of the Centzon Totochtin
• Tepoztécatl (also Tezcatzontécatl): god of the fleas and rabbits.
• Tlazoltéotl (also Tlaelquani, Tlazolteotli) Devouring Mugre: goddess of the purification of the dirt, disease or excess. She was welcomed by the dying to confess her sins to her teopixque (Sacerdote), she was also considered the patron of the fabric, of the impure love and pleasures. Protector and patron of lovers.

Death

Itzpapalótl.

• Chalmecatecuchtli: One of the many gods of the Mictlán, and of the sacrifices.
• Chalmécatl: the underworld (Mictlán) and the north.
• Ilamatecuhtli (also Cihuacóatl or Quilaztli(c): The Old PrincessOld goddess of the earth, death, and the Milky Way. His roar indicated the war.
• Itztlacoliuhqui-Ixquimilli: god of justice, stone, obsidian, coldness, hardness and punishment.
• Iztli: God of sacrifice and stone knives.
• Itzpapálotl: Butterfly of Obsidiana, Queen of Tomoanchan and tzitzimime (demons of stars) as well as one of the Cihuateteo (Deified women). Besides being the goddess of violence.
• Mictecacíhuatl (o Mictlancíhuatl): goddess of death and Lady of Mictlán, the underworld of hell.
• Mictlantecuhtli (also Mictlantecuhtzior Tzontémoc): god of death and Lord of Mictlán, also god of the north, one of those who hold the heavens.
• Theoyaomqui (also Teoyaomiqui): God of the dead warriors.
• Xólotl The god of spirits, of twins and protector of the dead. Governor of Itzcuintlán.

Jobs

Pahtécatl

• Acalometochtli: God who protects the sailors. It belongs to the Nauhtzonteo who are the 1600 gods that were born of the giant Tecpatl who bore the primordial goddess Omecihuatl in Chicomóztoc. Therefore, her father and mother was only the goddess Omecihuatl.
• Chicomexóchtli: A patron god of artists. Servant of the god Xochipilli.
• Cochimetl (also Coccochímetl): god of commerce, bargaining, barter and merchants.
• Huixtocíhuatl (o Uixtochíhuatl): A goddess of salt and salt water.
• Opochtli: god left of hunting, in particular hunting with traps, and fishing. Son of the god Tláloc.
• Tlacotzontli is the protector of the roads. To make it favorable, travelers came to her by bleeding with thorn branches.
• Yacatecuhtli Lord of the Vanguard: God of merchants and travellers

Healing

• Ixtlilton: God of healing, dances, festivals and games. Brother of Xochipilli.
• Patécatl: The Earth of Medicines, polish god, fertility and medicine, husband of Mayahuel, creator of the peyote and father of the Centzon Totochtin
• Toci: The grandmother of the gods, also a lady of health among the Tlaxcaltecas. Deified by Huitzilopochtli.

Time

• Oxomoco: Goddess of astrology and calendar (First Half-Golden Woman). Deified as the personification of the night.
• Cipactonal: God of astrology and the calendar (First Half Man). Deified as the personification of the day.

Others

• Cuaxólotl: A goddess of the heart.
• Chiconahuiehécatl: Associated with creation.
• Tecuciztécatl: El del Caracol Marinoin some myths associated with Tezcatlipoca. The god of pride who faced Nanahuatzin to fall into the Teotezcalli bonfire, to create a new sun.
• Malinalxóchitl: sorcerer and goddess of snakes, scorpions and desert insects.
• Tlatlauhqui: God of excuses.
• Yayauhqui: Goddess of comedy.

Serpent-gods

• Chicomecoatl A goddess of agriculture.
• Coatlicue A goddess of marriage and fertility.
• Mixcoatl The God of Hunt.
• Quetzalcoatl The God of wisdom.

Groups of Gods

• Aihuateo: the spirits of excess and pleasure.
• Centzon Mimixcoa: The 400 gods of the stars of the north, represented as men with a serpent's head, or as huge serpents that spring up the sky. Sons of the goddess Coatlicue.
• Huitznahua Centzon: 400 Aztec gods of the stars of the South. They are the rebel brothers of Huitzilopochtli and the children of Coatlicue.
• Centzon TotochtinFour hundred rabbits400 Gods of the pulque and of the states of drunkenness, "immoral" and drunkenness. Wild and very violent. Sons of the goddess of the maguey, Mayahuel. These include the following:
  • Acolhua (in Nahuatl: acolhua, ‘he who has shoulders’'acollishoulder; Hua, you have’)^?
  • Colhuantzíncatl (in Nahuatl: colhuantzincatl, ‘Falhuacan’‘cabbage, colhuacan; tecatl, dweller of, inhabitant of, person of’)^?
  • Cuatlapanqui (in Nahuatl: quatlapanqui“The Heads”‘cuaitlhead; Tlapanqui, tlapana; Tlapana, break’)^?
  • Chimalpanécatl (in Nahuatl: chimalpanecatl, ‘chimalpan’‘ChimalpanChimalpan; tecatl, dweller of, inhabitant of, person of’)^?
  • Izquitécatl (in Nahuatl): izquitecatl, ‘lezquitlán’‘izquitlan, izquitlán; tecatl, dweller of, inhabitant of, person of’)^?
  • Ometochtli (in Nahuatl: ometochtli, ‘two rabbit’‘omeTwo; tochtli, rabbit’)^?
  • Papaztac (in Nahuatl): papaztac“The Enervaged”‘papaztacPanchtli; pachtli, enervar’)^?
  • Teatlahuiani (in Nahuatl): teatlahuiani, ‘the drowner’‘youany; Atlahuiani, drowning’)^?
  • Tepoztécatl (in Nahuatl: tepoztecatl, ‘Tepoztlán’‘tecatl, dweller of, inhabitant of, person of’)^?
  • Tequechmecaniani (in Nahuatl: tequechmecaniani“The Hanger”‘youany; quechtlineck; mecatl, mecate; mecanianithe hanger’)^?
  • Tezcatzóncatl (in Nahuatl: tezcatzoncatl‘mirror hair’‘tezcatlmirror; zontli, hairs’)^?
  • Tlaltecayohua (in Nahuatl: tltecayohua, ‘falling land’‘Tlalliland; tecayohua, that falls, roll’)^?
  • Tlilhua (in Nahuatl: tlilhua, ‘the one with black ink’‘TlilliBlack ink; Hua, you have’)^?
  • Tomiyauh (in Nahuatl): Tomiyauh, ‘our corn wheat’‘toours; miahuatl, corn wheat’)^?
  • Toltécatl (in Nahuatl: toltecatl, ‘Toltitlán’‘toltliToltitlán; tecatl, dweller of, inhabitant of, person of’)^?
  • Yauhtécatl (in Nahuatl): yauhtecatl, ‘morator of Yauhtlán’‘yauht, yauhtlán; tecatl, dweller of, inhabitant of, person of’)^?
• Nauhtzonteo Group of 1600 gods that emerged from a huge pedernal located in the Chicomóztoc of Aztlán, to help the Tezcatlipocas. Children of the primordial goddess Omecihuatl.
• Tlaloque: The 4 children of the lightning god Tláloc and the sea goddess, Chalchiutlicue. In charge of helping your father in the work of the Tlalocan.

Supernatural creatures

• Acihuatlameh: "Water Women." Gyneecoform entities with the bottom of fish held as sea protectors, rivers and other bodies of water. They were related to the goddess Apancihuatl; who was her leader, and with Tezcatlipoca. In myths it is said that some Acihuatlameh helped the god Ehecatecuhtli cross the sea to get to the house of the sun and bring music to men.
• Ahuaque: Diocecillos of rain and wind in the form of children. Tlaloqueh attendants. It is believed that the Tlalocan (see).
• Ahuízotl: Dog-shaped monster; monkey hands; long tail that ended in a hand that drowned the seizures. Inhabitant of rivers and lagoons. He was at the service of Tláloc, so the victim could only be touched by the priests after being taken out of the water. It was a symbol of bad luck and misfortune. Sometimes the Ahuizotl cried as a child attracting those who dared to see where the sound came from.
• Amoxoaque: Mythical Race of men and women tree; who used to dwell in the woods as guardians of the same; natural beings who had the ability to convert anyone who has destroyed a tree as a consequence.
• Atlanteotl A gigantic being that carried over his shoulders the primordial waters upon which the marine monster Cipactli was swimming. There is no name of Atlanteotl for that god in a form similar to Schu or Atlas. It's a mere invention. Someone joined Atlan (which is a locative that translates as "in the water") with teotl 'gods', so as to form Atlanteotl as "God of the Water", although it would actually translate as "God or divinity in the Water." The inventor of this was André Bonnet in his book 'La divination chez les Aztlantes' Adyar-Paris, 1950.
• Cachinipas: "Mother Spirits of twisted dust". Class of evil spirits of the winds generally represented as dust tugs; their influence is harmful to the sick, old and parents. To counteract and avoid the evils they cause, the child must be sacrificed.
• Centlapachton: Yohualtetzahuitl represented as the spirit of the ghost of a girl who emerges from the underworld to appear on the earth at night; in the bathrooms or places destined to defecation. With long and black hairs; and walking like ducks. It is known that his presence augurs death.
• Cihuapipiltin or “Cihuateo”, aberrant cadaveric beings of the women who died when they were born and who did not fulfill their years of service to the god Sol Tonatiuh, and who returned to the earth to steal children and cause sexual transgressions, and if they were seen by some adult, they augured his death.
• Cipactli: Primal marine monster; possessor of 18 mouths; one in each union of his body; voracious and choleric; was taken by the personification of chaos before the intervention of the gods; murdered by Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl.
• Civatateo: souls of dead women by giving birth that guide the rising sun in the skies of the West. They also accompany the warriors to heaven.
• Cueyatl: Sea monsters that were born of the blood and hatred of Cipactli towards the human, as she blamed them for their bad state. They were monstrous frogs with blood and poisonous breath that was also capable of becoming a normal frog.
• Honchi: Race of giants of the underworld. Of them it is said that there are both males and females, and the latter are characterized by their gigantic breasts. They are all of a huge size, hairy "on one piece", that have their feet back, and they like to eat human flesh. Its look is horrible because they have hair all over the body, long and saddened in the head. They are possessors of large fangs and show obvious difficulties in walking.
• Huehueytin: Say of four giants formed by the gods Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcóatl; to raise the thirteen skies that fell after the Universal Flood.
  • Cuauhtémoc (“the eagle that descends”)
  • Itzcóatl (“the Obsidian snake”)
  • Itzcalli or Itzmaliyatl (“the right”)
  • Tenexuche (“the discolored”)
• Hueytlacome: Giants who were considered to be so old that they already existed when the Second Sun was founded. According to the Anales of Cuauhtitlán, the giants were created by the gods and, since they did not know agriculture, their food consisted of wild fruits, roots and acorns. In those yesterday, the giants greeted themselves by saying “Don’t fall down,” because the one who fell would do it forever.
• Ixpuxtecqui: "The one with the Farewell Face." Alternatively Ixicuauh. Part of the lower gods of death; Miquizteo. God of bad luck. Nexoxcho consort. He lived in the Mictlán and, according to the narrative; he often left his underground place, to go under the skirt of the night stared by the roads and the streets, the bridges and the acequias of the cities and the towns, with his face destroyed and his only foot, because he was lame, jumping to pieces, making a dry noise with the four huge nails of his red eagle foot. He was a strange messenger of death. He passed among the people without being seen, letting alone hear the scratch of his nails. Woe to him that was able to distinguish him, to see a head without a definite face, with the upper half grey and the lower one lost in the darkness, for he was black, with the normal body of man and the feathered limb, of bird of rapture! That, if he was sick, knew instantly that he should not heal, and if he was healthy and strong, sick of fear, superstition, supernatural fever, and died. In vain were asked doctors, ticitl, healers, tepatli, and sorcerers, tetlachiuiani; uselessly they prepared emplasts and posters, made use of sangries and even of trepanations; that disdained late or soon would follow the steps of Ixicuauh until it came, after the nine tribulations of rigor, to the backs of
• Macihuatli: Matlateotl represented as the spirit of the ghost of a woman who seduces to trasnochadores, unfaithful and violent in the form of an attractive woman; naked or semi-denizen, but with the hidden face; under a veil that completely covers her cheeky face of horse. For his part, among the Nahuas of the kingdom of Cuscatlan, he is often related to the appearance of the ghost of the infant, Tzipitco, since it is believed that both died during the light. Homologa to the Siguanaba of the Mayas. It was also known under the names of Siuateyuga, Cigua, Cihuatlaco and Cegua.
• Mazacoatl: Fantastic snake, large, possessor of a deer cornamenta. He attracted men to become an attractive woman to then take them to the underworld and devour them, with women he proceeded to attack them without transforming themselves so that they could go up to their backs and boil their bowels by warming up.
• Maxiltiani: in Nahuatl: Maxiltialli, ‘substitute’. Creature charged with punishing families who did something that offended the gods, normally the Maxiltiani played with the innocent children as only they can see it in their original form, sometimes lost or hid them to take their form and thus be visible in the eyes of all. According to legend, the first Maxiltiani became a god being only a creature designed for the service of the main gods, so he was punished by Itzpalotl and condemned not to be visible in his natural form and only to be visible once he stole a human appearance. It is said that his real appearance is very scary his body is made with internal bones and a very hard skin that resembles an exoskeleton, so they often crunch when they walk or move his body, it cannot last long with a stolen form so they only do it when they are going to punish someone for some sin committed to the gods.
• Nahual: A sorcerer or a witch with the ability to change shape.
• Ocelocolotl: Hybrid creature between jaguar and tar. A humanid jaguar-warrior with tail and tarts.
• Ohuican Chaneque: "Those who live in dangerous places." Creatures associated with the underworld; whose main activity is to take care of the mountains and the wild animals. It is said that they are people of approximately one metre or twenty metre; they have their feet backwards, the deformed body, have tail and lack the left ear, others ensure that they are midgets with children's face, and that they worship the mischiefs.
• Oxkoltzec: Giant and deformed with long and thin arms; whose strength was enough to destroy the flesh of people with just touching them.
• Quatezcatl: Portento represented as a bird of beautiful blue and white plumage, also had a mirror in the head where the future of anyone who sees it would be reflected. It was usually represented by the size of a dove (although it was sometimes illustrated to a larger size).
• Tlacacoyotl: Creature half man and coyote who lived in the city of Cuacoyotécatl. Nahual mole identified as the licanthropists.
• Tlacamichin: Sea Beings; the term refers to creatures in which the giants of the fourth sun became during the end of their era.
• Tlacahueyac: Yohualtetzahuitl represented as the spirit of the ghost of a man adopting the form of a giant. Sometimes, he could be seen carrying his head between his arms as he walked the streets in the early morning. His presence was mischievously taken; of prompt misfortune, death, war or famine.
• Tlacahuilotl: Yohualtetzahuitl represented as the spirit of the ghost of a black plumage bird with human head that was always smiling posing on the branches of trees without leaves. Its appearance is taken by evil omen.
• Tlahuepan: Yohualtetzahuitl represented as the spirit of the ghost of a shadow or man who boasts like a beam. His appearance was taken as a bad omen.
• Tlacanexquimilli: Yohualtetzahuitl represented as a lump of ashes, a dead man gagged, had neither his feet nor his head laid, for they are rolling down the ground and emitting terrible groans that put their hairs on the tip.
• Tlacatecolotl: “Holy Man”Within the folklore of the Nahua peoples; type of Yohualtetzahuitl represented as a winged man with owl head and bird feet; who claimed death with only his presence, and among other things he was also able to curse anyone with just seeing it.
• Tlacatzinacantli: Demon or genius from the east. Human creature with bat traits that feed on men's blood.
• Tlahuelpuchi: Female and male entities that feed on blood; that used to move at high speed between harvests and grasslands. Being anthropomorphic consecrated to Tezcatlipoca, the god of darkness, since the darkness embarked upon them at their pace, for after they became tired in their vain fish, they ceased to do them and went to the forest in the form of steam that induced man.
• Tlahuipuchtli: "The Shining Sahumor." A class of winds that walked by the mountains at night throwing fire in the mouth to scare away their enemies; they died as a result of the scare. On the other hand, Torquemada includes him among the Nahuals, who had the property of becoming not only animals, but in fires. For his part, the author of the Codex Carolino, more rational, does not believe in its existence and believes that such witches were but fireflies.
• Tlapehuiloni: Ghosts of mortals who have not been able to pass from the first stratum of the Underworld.
• Tlemoyotl: Mosquitos of fire that were present in the mountains.
• Tzitzimime: Star demons of darkness, which attack the Sun during the eclipses and threaten the Earth. Skeleton appearance with few pieces of salty flesh, approximately 2 meters high. They were carrying a big bow.
• Xicalcóatl: Snake with black scales at the point of appearing to have been polished, has a beautifully coloured jícara on his back which hypnotizes anyone who sees it.
• Xiuhcóatl: The greatest dragon of Nahua mythology; used by Huitzilopochtli as a weapon to kill his sister Coyolxauhqui and his 400 Huitznáhuac Centzon brothers.
• Xochicalcatl: A gigantic offence living in the city of Xochicalco; it used to devour elderly people to satisfy their hunger. And according to tradition, he was killed by the hero Tepoztecatl.
• Xochitonal: A sea monster in the form of giant iguana inhabitant of the first level of the Mictlán.
• Yohualtepuztli: Nightmare.. Yohualtetzahuitl represented as the spirit of the ghost of a decapitated man of great height with the open chest; with the exposed heart (that of being plucked might bring, or fortune or fatality). Spectral appearance that made sounds of an axe cutting a tree during the nights.
• Camazotz a gigantic Mictlantecuhtli maiden bat descended from the Tlamoachan during the end of the fourth sun. He lives within the ninth level of the Mictlán inn next to the lord of death.^{[chuckles]required]}

Legendary Kings and Heroes

Kings

• Ce Ácatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl: legendary priest king of the mythical city of Tollan.
• Huemac: A king of Tollan and a hero who beat Tezcatlipoca and the Tlaloque in a ball game.

Warriors

• Tepoztecatl: A semi-dead hero who kills several monsters and saves several cities.
• Yaotl: A semi-decided incarnation of Tezcatlipoca.
• Toueyo, also called: Tobeyo: A semi-dead, incarnation of Tezcatlipoca. She fell in love with Huemac's daughter.
• Tlacauepan: Incarnation of Tezcatlipoca, murdered by stone.
• Copil: Huitzilopochtli nephew and son of Malinalxochitl. He was killed, rising from his heart the nopal.

Metamorphosed

• Iztaccíhuatl: Princess who dies of grief by being deceived that her beloved warrior Popoca had died in battle; her body in a position of a sleeping woman became the volcano Iztaccíhuatl (White Woman) by design of the gods. Both volcanoes guard the Anáhuac Valley basin.
• Mololoa: Princess who cried so much the death of her beloved Tépetl who formed a river. Daughter of King Trigomil^{[chuckles]required]}
• Popoca: Legendary Warrior that when he returns victorious from the battlefield he encounters the unexpected death of his beloved princess, after which he ascends to the pinnacle of the temple with her in his arms and surrenders himself as offerings to the gods; the gods accept the sacrifice of their unconsumed love, and to preserve it eternal, they decide to transform them into volcanoes. This is the mythological origin of the Popocatépetl volcano.
• Tata and Nene: 2 people who were converted into dogs by Tezcatlipoca as punishment for disobeying him.
• Xappan: A hero who killed the Atotolin and became king, but in his ambition he became a giant red scorpion.^{[chuckles]required]}

Minor Figures

• Coxcox: The first mortal man created in the second sun.
• Xóchitl: The first mortal woman created in the second sun.

Places

• Aztlán, the place of whiteness: Original home of the Mexicas before their migration and establishment in Tenochtitlan.
• Chicomóztoc: place of origin of the Tepanecas, xochimilcas, chalcas, acolhuas, tlahuicas, tlaxcaltecas and mexicas.
• Mictlán: the underworld.
• Tlalocan: the first paradise, governed by Tláloc, where the souls of the dead awaited reincarnation.
• Tlillan-Tlapallan: the middle kingdom of heaven, or medium paradise, reserved to those who understood the wisdom of Quetzalcóatl.
• Tonatiuhichan: the highest paradise.
• Tomoanchan: Mythic paradise on which Itzpapalotl rules, where all things come from. According to the myth of Aztec creation, it was there where the gods created the present human race.