Huitzilopochtli
In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtlius, also spelled Uitzilopochtlius,[1] was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was given human hearts and blood of their enemies and slaves as a sacrifice.
Legend
The legend of Huitzilopochtli is recorded in the Mexicayotl Chronicle. His sister, Coyolxauhqui, tried to kill their mother. Her offspring, Huitzilopochtli, learned of this plan while still in the womb, and before it was put into action, sprang from his mother's womb fully grown and fully armed and killed his sister Coyolxauhqui, together with many of his 400 brothers and sisters. He then tossed his sister's head into the sky, where it became the moon, so that his mother would be comforted in seeing her daughter in the sky every night. He also threw his other brothers and sisters into the sky, where they became the stars.[2]
Huitzilopochtli Media
Blue and Red Tezcatlipocas in the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer.
Huitzilopochtli, as depicted in the Codex Tovar
Human sacrifice depicted in the Codex Laud
Prisoners for sacrifice were decorated.
The founding of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan; An eagle representing Huitzilopochtli, which exhales the atl-tlachinolli (war symbol), is perched on a nopal cactus. Teocalli of the Sacred War, sculpted in 1325.
Huitzilopochtli in the Codex Borgia.
Human sacrifice as shown in the Codex Magliabechiano
Codex Tudela
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Related pages
Notes
- ↑ IPA: [witsiloˈpotʃtɬi] ("Hummingbird of the South", "He of the South", "Hummingbird on the Left (South)", or "Left-Handed Humming Bird") – huitzilin is the Nahuatl word for hummingbird
- ↑ Huitzilopochtli
References
- Carrasco, David (1982). Quetzalcoatl and the Irony of Empire: Myths and Prophecies in the Aztec Tradition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-09487-1. OCLC 0226094871.