Aztec Mythology - God and Goddess

Aztec Gods and Goddesses:

OMETECUHLTI / OMECIHUATL
The origin of this god is from the Toltecs, and possibly could be traced to Teotihuacan. In the Aztec mythology, Ometeotl/Omecihualt is a dual god, who had a male side called Ometecuhtli and a female side known as Omecihuatl. The male side, was a deity associated with fire, a creator god and one of the highest gods in the pantheon.

Ometeotl dwelled and ruled over Omeyocan, home of the gods. There were no temples dedicated to this god, but Ometeotl is referred to in most of the Aztec poetry.

COATLICUE
Coatlicue is the Aztec goddess of the earth, who gave birth to the moon, stars and Huitzilopochtli. Caotlicue also known as Teteoinan (The Mother of Gods), Toci (our grandmother) and Cihuacoatl (the lady of the serpent).

Coatlicue wore a skirt made out of snakes and a necklace of human hearts. Her feet and hands are adorned with claws and her breasts are portrayed as hanging flaccid from nursing. Almost all depiction of this goddess describes her deadly side.

Coatlicue face is formed by two facing serpents, referring to the duality of her nature. For the Aztec the snakes symbolized fertility, her World’s motherhood also represented in her skirts.

A massive statue known as the Coatlicue Stone was discovered by the astronomer Antonio de Leon y Gama in August 1790. This monumental statue measures more than 8 feet tall.

HUITZILOPOCHTLI
Huitzilopochtli was the Aztec sun and war god. The souls of the warriors who died in battle were said to become hummingbirds and follow him across the sky. Blue was his color and south his direction. Huitzilopochtli was a god originated with the Aztecs.

Huitzilopochtli was the main deity in the Aztec religion. He is considered an incarnation of the sun and struggles with the forces of the night to keep mankind alive. Huitzilopochtli is credited with inducing the Aztecs to migrate from their homeland in Aztlan and directed them to found a city on the site where they would see an eagle eating snake. The cult of Huitzilopochtli was especially strong in Tenochtitlan, which regarded him as the city’s founding god.

According to the Aztecs legend, Coatlicue (goddess of the earth) had given birth to the moon (Coyolxauhqui) and the stars (Centzonhuitznahuac). The moon and stars became jealous of Coatlicue’s pregnancy with Huitzilopochtli. During his birth, Huitzilopochtli used the serpent of fire and the sun’s ray to defeat the moon and stars. Every day the battle continues between day and night. The Aztecs saw the sunrise as daily victory for this god over the forces of darkness.

Huitzilopochtli can only be fed by the blood of sacrifice to sustain him in his daily battle. He resides in the seventh heaven of Aztec mythology. The seventh heaven is represented as blue. Huitzilopochtli was the most celebrated of the Mexican deities and came to embody the aspirations and accomplishments of the Aztec. His cult could have been considered the "state cult" and was a focus of the powerful economic and political system.

Other Aztec God: Tezcatlipoca