Aztec Mythology

Basic Information

At the moment, this page is just a stub, index, or placeholder. If you know information about Aztec mythology, please contribute to this page.

People and Creatures

• Acolnahuacatl, or Acolmiztli - a god of the underworld, Mictlan
• Ahuiateteo (also Macuiltonaleque) - five gods who personify excess
• Ahuitzotl - a human-eating water-dwelling dog-monkey with a hand on its tail
• Amimitl - god of lakes and fishers
• Atlacamani - goddess of oceanic storms such as hurricanes
• Atlacoya - goddess of drought
• Atlatonan (also Atlatonin) - goddess of the coast
• Atlaua - water god
• Ayauhteotl - goddess of mist, fog, vanity and fame
• Camaxtli - god of hunting, war, fate and fire
• Centeotl (see Cinteotl)
• Centzon Huitznahua - southern stars, children of Coatlicue
• Centzon Totochtin (400 rabbits) - gods of pulque
• Chalchiuhtecolotl - a night owl god
• Chalchiuhtlatonal - god of water
• Chalchiuhtlicue (also Chalciuhtlicue, or Chalchihuitlicue) (She of the Jade Skirt). (Sometimes Acuecucyoticihuati) - the goddess of lakes and streams, and also of birth; consort of Tlaloc.
• Chalchiuhtotoliq (Precious Night Turkey) - god of pestilence and mystery
• Chalmecatecuchtlz - a god of the underworld, Mictlan and sacrifices
• Chalmecatl the underworld, Mictlan and the north
• Chantico - the goddess of hearth fires, personal treasure, and volcanoes
• Chicomecoatl (also Chalchiuhcihuatl, Chiccomeccatl, or Xilonen) - goddess of new maize and produce, wife of Cinteotl.
• Chicomexochtli - a patron of artists
• Chiconahui - a domestic fertility goddess
• Chiconahuiehecatl - associated with creation
• Cihuacoatl (also Chihucoatl or Ciucoatl) (Woman Serpent) - an aspect of Ilamatecuhtli and consort of Quetzalcoatl
• Cihuateteo (also Civatateo) - souls of women who died in childbirth who lead the setting sun in the western sky. Also night demons who steal children, and cause seizures, insanity and sexual transgression. They also accompany warriors to heaven.
• Cinteotl (also Centeotl or Centeocihuatl) - the principal maize god, son of Tlazolteotl
• Cipactli - the caiman at the foundations of the earth
• Cipactonal - god of astrology and the calendar
• Citlalicue - a creator of the stars
• Coatlicue (She of the Serpent Skirt) - legendary mother of Coyolxauhqui, the Centzon Huitzahua, and Huitzilopochtli
• Cochimetl (also Coccochimetl) - god of commerce, bartering, and merchants
• Coyolxauhqui - legendary sister of Huitzilopochtli, associated with the moon, possibly patroness of the Milky Way
• Cuaxolotl - a goddess of the hearth
• Ehecatl (also Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl) - the god of the Wind and creator of the earth, heavens, and the present race of humanity. As god of the west, one of the skybearers
• Huehuecoyotl (also Ueuecoyotl) - a trickster god of indulgence and pranks. A shapeshifter, associated with drums and the coyote
• Huehueteotl (also Ueueteotl, Xiuhtecuhtli, Xiutechuhtli) - an ancient god of the hearth, the fire of life. Associated with the pole star and the north, and serves as a skybearer
• Huitzilopochtli (also Mextli, Mexitl, Uitzilopochtli) - the supreme god of Tenochtitlan, patron of war, fire and the sun
• Huixtocihuatl (also Uixtochihuatl) - a goddess of salt and saltwater
• Ilamatecuhtli (also Cihuacoatl or Quilaztli) - aged goddess of the earth, death, and the Milky Way. Her roar signalled war
• Itzli - god of sacrifice and stone knives.
• Itzpapalotl - Queen of Tomoanchan and one of the Cihuateteo (night demons) and tzitzimime (star demons)
• Itztlacoliuhqui-Ixquimilli - god of stone, obsidian, coldness hardness, and castigation. Aspect of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli
• Ixtlilton - the god of healing, dancing, festivals and games. Brother of Xochipilli.
• Macuilcozcacuauhtli (five vulture) - one of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excess)
• Macuilcuetzpalin (five lizard) - one of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excess)
• Macuilmalinalli (five grass) - one of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excess)
• Macuiltochtli (five rabbit) - one of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excess)
• Macuilxochitl (five flower) - the god of games and gambling, and chief of the Ahuiateteo (gods of excess)
• Malinalxochitl - sorceress and goddess of snakes, scorpions and insects of the desert
• Matlalceuitl (also Matlalcueje) - goddess of rainfall and singing. Identified with Chalchiuhtlicue.
• Mayahuel (also Mayahual, or Mayouel) - the goddess of maguey, and by extension, alcohol
• Metztli (also Metztli, Tecuciztecatl, Tecciztecatl)- lowly god of worms who failed to sacrifice himself to become the sun, and became the moon instead, his face darkened by a rabbit.
• Mextli - a god of war and storms
• Mictecacihuatl (also Mictlancihuatl) - goddess of death and Lady of Mictlan, the underworld
• Mictlantecuhtli (also Mictlantecuhtzi, or Tzontemoc) - the god of death and Lord of Mictlan, also as god of the south, one of the skybearers
• Mixcoatl (cloud serpent) - god of hunting, war, and the Milky Way. An aspect of Tezcatlpoca and father of Quetzalcoatl
• Nagual - a tutelary animal or vegetable spirit
• Nahual - a shapeshifting sorcerer or witch
• Nanahuatzin (also Nana, Nanautzin, or Nanauatzin) - lowly god who sacrificed himself to become sun god Tonatiuh
• Omacatl (see Tezcatlipoca)
• Omecihuatl (see Ometeotl)
• Ometecuhtli (see Ometeotl)
• Ometeotl (also Citlatonac or Ometecuhtli (male) and Omecihuatl (female)) - the god(s) of duality, pregenator(s) of souls and lord/lady of heaven
• Ometotchtli (two rabbit) - drunken rabbit god, leader of the Centzon Totochtin
• Opochtli - left-handed god of trapping, hunting and fishing
• Oxomoco - goddess of astrology and the calendar
• Patecatl - the god of medicine, husband of Mayahuel
• Paynal - the messenger to Huitzilopochtli
• Popocatepetl - Legendary warrior
• Quetzalcoatl (also Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli) (quetzal-feathered serpent) - creator god and patron of rulership, priests and merchants. Associated with Ehecatl as the divine wind
• Quilaztli (see Ilamatecuhtli)
• Skybearers - associated with the four directions, supported the vault of the sky.
• Tecciztecatl (see Mextli)
• Temazcalteci (also Temaxcaltechi) - goddess of bathing and sweatbaths
• Teoyaomicqui (also Teoyaomiqui)- the god of dead warriors
• Tepeyollotl - (The jaguar form of Tezcatlipoca) god of the heart of the mountain, associated with jaguars, echoes, and earthquakes
• Tepoztecatl (also Tezcatzontecatl) - god of pulque and rabbits
• Teteoinnan - mother of the gods
• Tezcatlipoca (also Omacatl, Titlacauan - "The Smoking Mirror") - omnipotent god of rulers, sorcerers and warriors; night, death, discord, conflict, temptation and change. A sinister rival to Quetzalcoatl. Can appear as a jaguar.
• Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli - destructive god of the morning star (venus), dawn, and of the east. One of the skybearers
• Tlaloc (also Nuhualpilli) - the great and ancient provider and god of rain, fertility and lightning
• Tlaltecuhtli - a drunken toad goddess, goddess of earth, associated with difficult births
• Tlazolteotl (also Tlaelquani, Tlazolteotli)- the goddess of purification from filth, disease or excess
• Tloquenahuaque - a creator god or ruler
• Toci (also Temazcalteci) - grandmother goddess, heart of the earth and mother of the gods. Associated with midwives and war
• Tonacacihuatl - consort of Tonacatecuhtli
• Tonacatecuhtli - the aged creator and provider of food and patron of conceptions
• Tonantzin - a mother goddess
• Tonatiuh - a sun god and heavenly warrior, associated with eagles and with the Maya
• Tzitzimime - star demons of darkness that attack the sun during eclipses and threaten the earth
• Tzitzmitl - aged grandmother goddess
• Xilonen - the goddess of young maize
• Xipe Totec - the god of the seasons, seed germination and renewal, considered the patron of goldworkers
• Xiuhcoatl (fire serpent or turquoise serpent) - embodiment of the sun's rays and emblem of Xiuhtecuhtli
• Xiuhtecuhtli -(also called Huehueteotl)
• Xochipilli - the young god of feasting, painting, dancing, games, and writing. Associated with Macuilxochitl and Cinteotl
• Xochiquetzal - goddess of love, beauty, female sexuality, prostitutes, flowers, pleasure, craft, weaving, and young mothers
• Xocotl - star god associated with fire
• Xolotl - canine companion of Quetzalcoatl and god of twins, sickness and deformity. This psychopomp accompanies the dead to Mictlan.
• Yacatecuhtli (also Yactecuhtli) - the god of merchants and travellers

Places

• Apanoayan (where one crosses the river)- the first of the nine levels of Mictlan, also known as Itzcuintlan.
• Aztlán (land of the herons) - the original home of the Mexica before the peregrination and the establishment of Tenochtitlan
• Iztaccihuatl - a mountain known as "the sleeping lady"
• Mictlan - the underworld.
• Popocatepetl - the smoking mountain
• Tlalocan first paradise.
• Tehuantepec place of the hill of the sacred jaguar
• Tlillan-Tlapallan middle realm of the heaven (middle paradise).
• Tonatiuhichan highest paradise
• Tamoanchan - where the gods created the modern human race

Other Concepts

• Flower War
• Teotl
• Tonalli and Teyolia
• Ixiptla / Ritual Sacrifice / Human Sacrifice

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia - the lists of people and places above were taken from wikipedia's entry.

2. Religion For Breakfast video on Aztec religion

Game and Story Use

• Aztec mythology is delightfully bloody and alien, allowing you to work with values dissonance, tough decisions, and morally ambiguous characters. Horrible things are being done in name of keeping the universe from ending. "I mean, obviously, we don't want the universe to end tomorrow, but are you sure it really takes that much human sacrifice to keep the universe running properly?"
• A good model for a non-standard fantasy religion - their gods have a mixed bag of portfolios and none of them can be properly described as either good or evil: some are more or less fun to work with, but all of them have some positive and some negative interests.