Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli, also called Xiuhpilli (“Turquoise Prince”) and Totec (“Our Lord”), Aztec sun and war god, one of the two principal deities of Aztec religion, often represented in art as either a hummingbird or an eagle.

What is Huitzilopochtli and why is it important?

Huitzilopochtli was one of the most important Aztec gods. He was the sun god as well as the god of war. His name means “Hummingbird of the Left.” The Aztecs believed that warriors who were killed in battle returned to life as hummingbirds. ... Therefore, Huitzilopochtli's name also describes a warrior from the south.

What is the purpose of Huitzilopochtli?

According to Aztec cosmology, the sun god Huitzilopochtli was waging a constant war against darkness, and if the darkness won, the world would end. The keep the sun moving across the sky and preserve their very lives, the Aztecs had to feed Huitzilopochtli with human hearts and blood.

What were Huitzilopochtli powers?

Powers: According to Sahagún, Huitzilopochtli was robust, strong, warlike and a great destroyer of towns and men. In wars he was like “live fire”, and fearsome to his adversaries. His emblem was of a “dragon's head that spewed fire from its mouth” (xiuhcoatl).

Why was Huitzilopochtli the most important god?

However, Huitzilopochtli was known as the primary god of war in ancient Mexico. Since he was the patron god of the Mexica, he was credited with both the victories and defeats that the Mexica people had on the battlefield. The people had to make sacrifices to him to protect the Aztec from infinite night.

Miscellaneous Myths: Huitzilopochtli

What were the 4 main Aztec gods?

In the Aztec creation story, Ometecuhtli was self-birthed, and as such the androgynous being's dual genders acted as husband and wife to give birth to the other four major Aztec gods – Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and Xipe Totec, who in turn represented the four cardinal sides.

What did the Aztec game patolli symbolize?

What did the patolli board symbolize? The board symbolized the 260-day calendar, which the Aztecs shared with the Mayas and other Mesoamerican peoples.

Who is the strongest Aztec god?

Huitzilopochtli - The most fearsome and powerful of the Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli was the god of war, the sun, and sacrifice.

Why were Pochteca important to the Aztec empire?

Pochteca occupied a high status in Aztec society, below the noble class. They were responsible for providing the materials that the Aztec nobility used to display their wealth, which were often obtained from foreign sources.

What did tezcatlipoca do?

TEZCATLIPOCA ("the smoking mirror") was one of the four Aztec creator gods who arranged the universe and set the cosmic ages in motion through periodic celestial battles.

How did the Aztecs Honour the Huitzilopochtli?

The focal point of worship to Huitzilopochtli was at the Aztec capital where he had a wooden statue and shrine alongside that of Tláloc atop the Temple Mayor pyramid or Hueteocalli. ... As Huitzilopochtli was such an important deity he was the beneficiary of human sacrifices whose blood would feed and strengthen the god.

What does the hummingbird represent in Mexico?

Mexican elders say Huitzilopochtli guided the Aztec's long migration to the Valley of Mexico, and thus the hummingbird is the symbol of strength in life's struggle to elevate consciousness—to follow your dreams.

What is the Aztec word for hummingbird?

Huitzilopochtli's name is a combination of two Nahuatl (or Aztecan) words, huitzilin, meaning hummingbird, and opochtli, which means left — the god's name translates literally as "Hummingbird on the Left." This resulted in Huitzilopochtli often being depicted as a blue- or green-colored hummingbird or as a warrior ...

How did Huitzilopochtli become god?

According to a Mexica legend, Huitzilopochtli was born on Coatepec or Snake Hill. ... As the 400 stars reached Coatlicue, decapitating her, Huitzilopochtli (god of the sun) suddenly emerged fully armed from his mother's womb and, attended by a fire serpent (xiuhcoatl), killed Coyolxauhqui by dismembering her.

What symbol did Huitzilopochtli tell the Aztecs to find?

According to Aztec tradition, Huitzilopochtli told the Aztecs to look for an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus and holding a snake; this would be the place they should establish the city of Tenochtitlán. The eagle continues to be an important symbol to this day and is on the Mexican flag.

What did Quetzalcoatl represent?

As the morning and evening star, Quetzalcóatl was the symbol of death and resurrection. With his companion Xolotl, a dog-headed god, he was said to have descended to the underground hell of Mictlan to gather the bones of the ancient dead.

How many Aztec gods are there in total?

The Aztecs believed in a complex and diverse pantheon of gods and goddesses. In fact, scholars have identified more than 200 deities within Aztec religion.

Who created Pochteca?

Pochteca is a 100% Mexican family owned business that consists of Engineers Jorge Martinez Cano and his wife Sylvia Martinez Perez, whom each have over 40 years of experience in the Tequila industry.

How did the Aztecs treat their slaves?

Slaves had the right to marry, to have children, to substitute another individual in their place, and to buy their freedom. Slaveowners were responsible for housing and feeding their slaves, and slaves generally could not be resold.

Is there a Mexican god?

Quetzalcoatl (pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-atl), “the Feathered Serpent”, is probably the most famous Aztec deity and is known in many other Mesoamerican cultures such as Teotihuacan and the Maya. He represented the positive counterpart of Tezcatlipoca. He was the patron of knowledge and learning and also a creative god.

Who was the weakest Aztec god?

Nanahuatl, weakest of the Aztec gods, sickly and covered in pimples, had been chosen to form a new world.

Did the Aztecs eat meat?

Meat was eaten sparsely; the Aztec diet was primarily vegetarian with the exception of grasshoppers, maguey worms, ants and other larvae. Even now, some of these insects are considered delicacies in parts of Mexico.

When did the Aztecs get married?

Aztec family law generally followed customary law. Men got married between the ages of 20-22, and women generally got married at 15 to 18 years of age. Parents and relatives decided when and who their children would marry, and sometimes used marriage brokers.

What did the Aztecs offer to the sun god?

The Aztecs believed that the sun god needed daily nourishment (tlaxcaltiliztli) in the form of human blood and hearts and that they, as “people of the sun,” were required to provide Huitzilopochtli with his sustenance.

What is a Pok A Tok?

pok-a-tok | NCpedia. noun. Definition: A ritual ball game of the Maya, versions of which are found throughout Mesoamerica. Played with a solid rubber ball, and heavy pads, the object of the game was to knock the ball with any part of the body except the hands through a stone scoring ring.