Basic Information
Tlaloc is the Aztec deity of rain, as well as fertility and thunder. He was worshiped both for giving life and feared for his ability to send hail, thunder, and lightning. He is further associated with caves, springs, and mountains. Animals associated with him are herons and water-dwelling creatures such as amphibians and snails.
He was traditionally represented with fangs and goggle eyes - possibly a stylised reptilian appearance - wearing a headdress of heron feathers and holding a lightning bolt or a corn stalk as a sceptre. The water jar was a common symbol of his.
In the Aztec mythology of the Five Suns, Tlaloc was the Third Sun. He grieved after his wife Xochiquetzal was seduced by Tezcatlipoca, refusing to do anything else and causing a great drought because it didn't rain. Eventually, the prayers of the mortals for rain annoyed him so much that he caused a great rain of fire that burned the Earth away, requiring the gods to create an entirely new world. He can also be depicted as quadripartite with each of the four Tlaloque supporting a corner of the sky - or even as five aspects each associated with a specific kind of rain (four of which were destructive: fire, wind, fungus and flint blades1).
He was said to be the brother of Chalchiuhtlicue ("Jade Skirt Woman") who was the goddess of underground water and Huixtocihuatl the Aztec sea goddess, the husband of Xochiquetzal ("Flower Quetzal") their goddess of love and flowers and the father of Tecciztecatl ("old moon god") the moon god (possibly by his sister Chalchiuhtlicue…).
The most important festivals in his honor involved sacrificing children, either in caves or on sacred mountaintops (Mount Tlaloc in particular). These children are Ixiptla, revered avatars of Tlaloc. They're treated well and venerated for a while, then brutalized and forced to cry publicly to magically summon future rains, and then lastly put to death to seal the deal.
Sources
Game and Story Use
- As with many Aztec deities, his worship presents a dilemma for "good" characters - some of his rites are utterly evil, but his support is absolutely necessary for civilization.
- Although a significant amount of values dissonance applies to the human sacrifice elements given that Aztec culture considered being sacrificed a pathway to the best possible afterlife.