Nanahuatzin

Nanahuatzin-Xólotl described in the Borgia Codex.

Nanahuatzin or Nanáhuatl (in Nahuatl: nanahuatl, 'bubosito''nanahuatl, bubas, buboes; tzintli, diminutive) considered the god who personified humility. He sacrificed himself in the Teotezcalli bonfire made by the gods in the assembly in Teotihuacán to become the Fifth Sun.

Nanahuatzin, The Fifth Sun

In a Mexica myth recorded in the XVI century by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, it is said that twenty-six years after the creation of the Earth, the gods decided to create a new sun. In the year 13-Ácatl in Teotihuacán, an assembly of gods was held ordering fasting and sacrifices, they wondered who would take charge of illuminating the world.

A superb god, called Tecuciztécatl (The native of the place of the sea snail), offered to illuminate the surface of the Earth. Again the gods wondered who would be the other candidate to illuminate the world, but no one offered. Finally, they observed a god who did not speak, only listened. His body was covered in sores and tumors and they told him: "Be the one to illuminate, bubosito", the god named Nanahuatzin accepted the task.

For four days they both did penance and made sacrifices on the two promontories of the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. Everything that Tecciztécatl offered was precious. Instead of branches and balls of hay, he offered precious quetzal feathers and balls of gold filament to fit the self-sacrificial thorns. He offered thorns made of precious stones instead of maguey thorns. These were not covered with his blood, as was the tradition, but were red coral thorns, while Nanahuatzin offered green reeds, balls of hay, and maguey thorns covered with his own blood.

Four days the fire was maintained, at midnight of the last day scheduled for the creation of the new Sun, the gods gathered around a great bonfire prepared for the next cremation of the two gods; the purpose was to transform into bright stars. The gods asked Tecuciztécatl to throw himself first. Tecuciztécatl tried to throw himself into the fire four times and repented four times. Then, since it was not allowed to make a fifth attempt, the gods told Nanahuatzin to try it, he immediately closed his eyes, threw himself into the fire and began to burn. Tecuciztécatl, seeing the courage of his companion, also threw himself.

After both were consumed by flames, the gods sat under the reddened sky and waited for the Sun to rise. The gods did not know in which direction it would rise, only Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca, Xipe Tótec, predicted that Nanahuatzin would become Sun would rise in the east. So it was, radiant and resplendent an imposing Sun appeared in the east that would later be known as Tonatiuh. From behind Tecuciztécatl emerged as the Moon, just as bright as the Sun; so much so that the gods wondered if it would be convenient for them to have two stars that shine with that intensity at the same time. They agreed that the brightness of the Moon should be diminished, so one of them threw a rabbit at Tecuciztécatl, dimming his light and leaving a dark spot on his face, as we know it to this day.

From the sacrifice of all the gods, the new men would be forever indebted to them, so they would have to present their own blood and that of others in offerings. That is why humans, following the example of the gods, have to sacrifice themselves. This need to present blood gave rise to different wars, whose purpose is to obtain sacrificial victims for the Sun.

Another legend says: that aware of the need for the movement of both stars, the gods decided to sacrifice themselves. The air god was chosen to carry out this sacrifice. Xolotl was the only one who refused to die, when it was his turn he ran to hide in the corn, transforming himself into the corn that has two stalks, but he was discovered. He once again ran to hide, now he was making the magueys and transformed into a maguey with two bodies, for the second time they discovered him. Finally, he got into the water and transformed into an axolotl, in this form they caught him and he was sacrificed. Despite the sacrifice of the gods, the Sun did not move. It was then that Ehécatl, god of the wind, who blew strongly and achieved the movement of the Sun. The Moon remained motionless until the king sun went down in the west; she then began to do the same tour. Since that day the Sun shines the day and the Moon shines at night.

Legend of Nanahuatzin

Retrieved from the book "The children of spring: life and words of the Indians" The legend of Nanahuatzin says that the ancient Mexicas believed that once upon a time the Moon had shone as bright as the Sun, but that it was later punished. This is the story that the old people used to tell about the birth of the Sun and the Moon.

Before there was day in the world, when it was still night, all the gods gathered in Teotihuacán, the city of the Gods, and they sat in a circle.

—Who will be in charge of lighting the world? —they asked.

Then Tecuciztécatl, who was very rich and very well dressed, stood up. "I take charge of lighting the world ," he said.

"Who will be the other one?" the gods asked.

But no one responded, no one wanted to. One by one they lowered their heads until only the last one remained, a poor and ugly god, full of buboes and sores, whose name was Nanahuatzin. “Light up, bubosito,” they told him.

—So it will be —Nanahuatzin answered as they lowered their heads, accepting their orders as a great honor.

Before they could become suns to light the world, the two gods had to make gifts and offerings. For this they built two gigantic pyramid-shaped temples that can still be seen in Teotihuacán today. Each one sat on top of his pyramid and was there for four days, without eating or sleeping. Tecuciztécatl offered beautiful blue and red feathers, gold stones and red sea coral spines. Nanahuatzin could not give away anything so beautiful; instead of feathers he offered grass tied together, offered balls of hay instead of balls of gold, and gave away maguey thorns painted red with his own blood. While the two gods did penance, the others lit a huge bonfire on the top of another temple.

New Age

The suicide of the gods brought about the development of the afterlife of man in this new age. The current Mexicans descend from the men who inhabited this Fifth Sun. The noble and wise god, Quetzalcóatl, collected the bones of the men of previous generations, took them to Teotihuacán and crushed them, depositing them in a basin. He wounded one of its members and its blood gave life to the first men of the new age of the Sun. For these men, Quetzalcóatl found corn, which was considered a sacred element. The stone of the Sun or Aztec Calendar, reflects these five ages or five soles and it was also used by the ancient Mexicans for astrological calculations. Right in the first circle of the calendar, you can see the five life-generating suns.