History Myth / AztecMythology

* TheUnpronounceable: While Mexica names aren't actually that hard to say if you ''hear'' them, they sure ''look'' unpronounceable.

First of all, let it be known that the Aztecs were never called "Aztecs" in their time. They were known as the [[OlderThanTheyThink Mexica]]. The various ethnic groups of Central Mexico were generally known as the Nahua[[note]] (say):"NA-hwa"[[/note]] and their language is called Nahuatl[[note]](say):"na-HWA-tle",[[/note]] Meaning "Clear Speech". The Mexica[[note]](say):"meh-SHEE-ka"[[/note]] (Mēxihcah in Nahuatl) that dominated the valley of Central Mexico at the time of European contact only migrated there sometime in the mid 1200s, from an unknown northern area that they referred to as Aztlán. Much of their culture was adopted from the surrounding civilizations, or descended from older ones like the Toltecs.

When they first arrived in the Central Valley[[note]]also referred to as the Valley of Mexico[[/note]], a number of city-states had been established, and the Mexica wandered around, staying in each city-state earning their keep as mercenaries until they inevitably offended their hosts in some way. In one notable legend, the Mexica asked the ruler of the city-state of Culhuacan (Cōlhuácān[[note]] (say):"kol-HWA-kan"[[/note]] in Nahuatl), who they were vassals of at the time, for one of his daughters. The king granted it thinking it was a political marriage he was accepting, but when he got invited to a festivity, which he thought was said marriage, he was met with the high priest of the Mexica wearing the flayed skin of his daughter; they had actually asked for her to be a sacrifice. Following this [[EpicFail incredible faux pas]], the Mexica were banished to a swampy area of Lake Texcoco, [[ReassignmentBackfire with the belief that they'd starve there]]. According to Mexica myth, their patron god told them to [[StartMyOwn build a new city]] on a spot where they'll find [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything an eagle eating a serpent while perched on a prickly pear cactus]]. They saw this happen on top of a small island way out in the middle of the lake. Undaunted, they began to build the city of Cuauhmixtitlán[[note]] (say):"coo-wow-meesh-tee-TLAN"[[/note]], Place of the Eagle Between the Clouds, later renamed Tenochtitlán[[note]] (say):"ten-oach-tee-TLAN"[[/note]], the Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus (in honor to their first high priest Tenoch[[note]] (say):"ten-OACH"[[/note]]), and its twin city Tlatelolco[[note]] (say):"tlah-teh-LOL-co"[[/note]], Place of the Mound of Sand, home of the largest market in the Americas. And thus began the rise of the Mexica, forming later the Triple Alliance with neighboring city-states of Texcoco and Tlacopan, beginning what is now known as the Aztec Empire. Mexico City is there today.

According to the Aztecs, the world was first created by '''Ometecuhtli/Omecihuatl'''[[note]] (say):"oh-meh-teh-KOOT-lee" / "oh-meh-SEE-wat-ull"[[/note]] or "Oemeteotl" [[note]] (say):"oh-eh-meh-TEH-ott-ull"[[/note]] in the singular form, a dual god that was both [[{{Hermaphrodite}} male and female]]. [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Shklee]] thought the world into existence and gave birth to the first group of major gods.

The most important two gods for the Aztec myths are '''Quetzalcoatl'''[[note]] (say):"kett-sal-COH-awe-tull"[[/note]], the Plumed Serpent, and '''Tezcatlipoca'''[[note]] (say):"tess-kawt-lee-POKE-ah"[[/note]], the Smoking Mirror. These [[CainAndAbel brothers]] were two [[ArchEnemy archenemies]] and most of the Aztec myth revolves around the two of them fighting each other. Quetzalcoatl was the god of wind, dawn, the morning star (aka Venus), knowledge, arts, and crafts, and one of the oldest gods, dating back to the Olmec. Tezcatlipoca was the TricksterGod of night, magic, slaves, earth, war, discord, rulership, and a host of others. On different versions they are either the two first brother gods, the elder of the first four brother gods or even the same being in antonym aspects battling with himself, indeed "Black Quetzalcoatl" is a name sometimes given to Tezcatlipoca, and "White Tezcatlipoca" is another name for Quetzalcoatl. Once the Spanish arrived, they marked the two as "[[BlackAndWhiteMorality good and evil]]" respectively, but to the Aztec sensibilities, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality neither of them was necessarily "better" than the other, they were just different and on opposite sides.]] Most famously, Quetzalcoatl [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything became a human]] and [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory ruled as a king of Tula]], the home of the Toltec people. He was a wise and peaceful ruler who ushered in a golden age... and as a result, none of the other gods were being given tribute. Outraged, Tezcatlipoca came to earth, wormed his way into Quetzalcoatl's council by [[ManipulativeBastard smooth-talking the right people]], [[SpringtimeForHitler winning unwinnable battles]], and [[RefugeInAudacity seducing noblewomen]]. He managed to get Quetzalcoatl rip-roaring drunk, and as a result, he ended up [[BrotherSisterIncest sleeping with his sister]], '''Quetzalpetlatl'''[[note]] (say):"ket-sal-pet-LOT-ull"[[/note]]. Ashamed, Quetzalcoatl went into self-imposed exile, then killed himself on a funeral pyre, came back to life, and finally sailed east on a raft of snakes, [[KingInTheMountain promising to return someday]].

Other important gods include the rain god '''Tlaloc'''[[note]](say):"tlah-lock"[[/note]], a monstrous blue creature with goggle eyes, a cleft lip, and jaguar fangs. Tlaloc was one of the oldest gods in Mesoamerica, with analogues dating back to the Olmec civilizations, and he's mostly famous for his child sacrifices. Another was '''Xipe Totec'''[[note]](say):"SHEE-peh TOW-tek"[[/note]], [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Flayed Lord]], the god of fertility, spring, and renewal, also being [[SplitPersonality Red Tezcatlipoca]]. He represented the maize plant, a golden food wrapped in a husk, so Xipe Totec was a golden god... wrapped in human skin. A tradition that his priests would emulate, killing a sacrificial victim and [[NemeanSkinning wearing their skin]]. Nowhere near last, and certainly not least, was '''Huitzilopochtli'''[[note]] (say):"weet-see-low-POACH-tlee"[[/note]], Left-Handed Hummingbird, the majordomo war god and Blue Tezcatlipoca. Unlike almost every other god listed here, who were venerated throughout Nahua culture, Huitzilopochtli seems to have originated with the Mexica and been brought south with them. And Huitzilopochtli loved his heartburgers. You know the classic image of hundreds of prisoners being brought up an enormous step-pyramid where a high priest would methodically [[BeatStillMyHeart tear their hearts out and raise them to the sky]]? [[ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans That was Huitzilopochtli's festival day]].

* The third world, known as '''Rain Sun''', was ruled by Tlaloc. He reigned until Tezcatlipoca stole his first wife, the beautiful flower goddess '''Xochiquetzal'''[[note]] (say):"show-chee-kett-SAHL"[[/note]]. Furious, Tlaloc gave the people no rain. Drought occurred until Quetzalcoatl overthrew Tlaloc and told him to make it rain. Out of spite, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Tlaloc made it rain]] ''[[KillItWithFire fire]]'', destroying the world. The humans who survived turned into birds.
* The fourth world, known as '''Water Sun''', was ruled by '''Chalchiuhtlicue'''[[note]] (say):"chawl-chee-oot-LEE-coo-eh"[[/note]], She of the Jade Skirt, the water goddess and Tlaloc's second wife. Both Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were jealous of her, and so they both overthrew her, [[TheGreatFlood ending the world in a massive flood]]. The surviving humans turned into fish.

After the fourth sun was destroyed, the world was completely covered in water. As such, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca [[TeethClenchedTeamwork decided to put aside their grudge to make a new world]]. However, all the land was on the back of '''Cipactli'''[[note]] (say):"see-PACT-lee"[[/note]], a [[KrakenAndLeviathan giant caiman-fish monster]], who was chillaxing at the bottom of the ocean. So, to lure it up, Tezcatlipoca lowered his foot to lure it to the surface. [[DeliberateInjuryGambit After getting it bit clean off]], the two gods turned into snakes and strangled Cipactli, thus forming the North American continent.

Now, there was the issue of people. The Aztecs believed that, much like corn seeds grew into new corn plants, human bones would give birth to new humans. So, Quetzalcoatl journeyed into Mictlán[[note]] (say):"meek-TLAN"[[/note]], [[ToHellAndBack the Aztec underworld]] alongside '''Xolotl'''[[note]] (say):"show-LOT-ull"[[/note]], a dog-headed lightning god who was Quetzalcoatl's [[BondCreatures spirit twin]]. He beseeched '''Mictlantecuhtli'''[[note]] (say):"meek-tlan-teh-KOOT-lee"[[/note]], the Lord of the Dead, to see the bones. Mictlantecuhtli agreed, if Quetzalcoatl could play an acceptable tune on a trumpet, [[ImpossibleTask then gave him a conch shell with no holes in it]]. Quetzalcoatl used worms to bore holes in the shell, then went to see the bones on a strict "look, but don't touch" condition. Quetzalcoatl had Xolotl [[WeNeedADistraction cause a ruckus]] while he absconded with the bones. He succeeded, but the deformed Xolotl was unable to escape with him, and thus took the role of {{psychopomp}}, bringing the souls of the dead to their final resting place. Quetzalcoatl ground up the bones and mixed them with his blood, then taking the mix, shaping them into people, and burying them in the ground, cultivating humanity like a crop.

Now, there was the matter of who would be the fifth sun. The gods met on the city of Teotihuacán[[note]] (say):"teo-tee-wah-KAHN"[[/note]] to decide who would be TheChosenOne. Two gods volunteered to become the fifth sun. One was the poor, crippled '''Nanahuatzin'''[[note]](say):"nah-nah-WAT-seen"[[/note]], the other was the rich, beautiful '''Tecciztecatl'''[[note]] (say):"tek-see-steh-CAT-ull"[[/note]]. To become the sun, they would have to jump into a fire. Tecciztecatl tried several times, but hesitated each time. Nanahuatzin leapt in without fear and, wanting to save face, Tecciztecatl followed. The two became suns, but the gods decided that because Nanahuatzin showed greater bravery, Tecciztecatl's sun should be dimmer than his. The gods [[AbnormalAmmo threw a rabbit]] at Tecciztecatl to diminish his size and his light, turning him into the moon. Nanahuatzin became '''Tonatiuh'''[[note]] (say):"tow-nah-TEE-uh"[[/note]], the solar disk, but the strength of the sun was too great, and as such he had no ability to move across the heavens. The other gods realized that a greater power was needed to move Tonatiuh across the sky.

So, the gods must continuously, to the point of constantly dying and returning to life, give their blood and their hearts to power Quetzalcoatl, in his aspect as '''Ehecatl'''[[note]] (say):"eh-EH-cat-ull"[[/note]], the wind, to send Tonatiuh on his daily path from dawn to dusk. As such, the Aztecs owed an enormous debt to their gods. Quetzalcoatl gave his blood to give humanity new life. The other gods are always giving their blood to allow the sun to rise each morning. They sacrificed many gifts to their gods: incense, chocolate, animals ranging from snakes to eagles to jaguars... but the greatest gift they could give their gods was human blood and human hearts.

* {{Animorphism}}: Tezcatlipoca was the most prominent, usually appearing in the form of a jaguar. In this guise, he was called Tepeyollotl[[note]](say):"teh-peh-yo-LOT-ull"[[/note]], or "Heart of the Mountain," and his roar was believed to cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Without doubt, Huehuecoyotl[[note]](say):weh-weh-koh-YOT-ull[[/note]]. Sure, he was an [[TricksterGod incorrigible prankster]] whose tricks [[HoistbyHisOwnPetard backfired more often than not]] and caused more damage to him than his victims, and actively [[PalsWithJesus treated his worshipers as close friends]]. However, do not mistake his bad luck and laid-backness for harmlessness -- he was shapeshifter capable of changing the fate of man (regardless to the other gods' will), and he was famous for starting wars among mortals [[ItAmusedMe for fun]].

* BondCreatures: Known as ''nagual''[[note]] (say):"nah-wall"[[/note]], this was a person's "shadow self", a piece of a person's soul in animal form. Even the gods had these. Quetzalcoatl had Xolotl, the dog-headed god of fire who guided the dead to their resting place.

* FeatherBoaConstrictor: Aside from Quetzalcoatl being a literal version of this trope, a few Aztec gods had snakes in their regalia. Tezcatlipoca, in some versions, had a snake as a [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic foot]]. Huitzilopochtli carried a Xiuhcoatl[[note]] (say):"shee-uh-koh-AWE-tull"[[/note]] (turquoise fire serpent) as a weapon, using it like a spear-thrower (or possibly a club-sword, seeing that the snake had obsidian studded on it in some depictions)

* FluffyCloudHeaven: Tlalocán[[note]](say):"tlah-loke-AHN"[[/note]], run by Tlaloc, the rain god who demanded child sacrifices. This heaven was restricted to people who drowned, were struck by lightning, or died of several illnesses associated with water. This was a cheerful place of eternal springtime and plenty.

** And Coatlicue[[note]] (say):"co-ought-lee-COO-eh"[[/note]]/Tonantzin[[note]] (say):"toe-nant-SEEN"[[/note]], the fertility goddess who gave birth to Huitzilopochtli, got her cult assimilated into the Catholic religion as Our Lady of Guadalupe in order to evangelize the Aztecs. It helped that the Virgin Mary got her church built nearby a hill where the Aztecs used to worship Tonantzin, as well as the supposed apparition to Saint Juan Diego with a lot of Aztec iconography involved.
** In an example of this going somewhere no one really expected, Mictlantecuhtli's wife, Mictecacihuatl[[note]] (say):"meek-tek-cah-see-WATT-ull"[[/note]], is believed to have evolved over time into [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muerte Santa Muerte]], or "Saint Death". The Mexican archdiocese is not pleased with this, to say the least.

* OddJobGods: A bunch of them. For example, Tlazlteotl[[note]] (say):tlass-ull-teh-AWE-tull[[/note]], the goddess known as the Sin Eater. And was literally depicted eating sins... represented as feces.

** The ''ahuitzotl''[[note]] (say):"ah-weet-SAW-tull"[[/note]], an otter-dog-monkey water monster that had a hand on its tail and let out a cry like a child, to lure people to the water, whereupon it would drown them and eat [[PickyPeopleEater their eyes, toenails, and fingernails]].

After the fourth sun was destroyed, the world was completely covered in water. As such, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca [[EnemyMine decided to put aside their grudge to make a new world]]. However, all the land was on the back of '''Cipactli'''[[note]] (say):"see-PACT-lee"[[/note]], a [[KrakenAndLeviathan giant caiman-fish monster]], who was chillaxing at the bottom of the ocean. So, to lure it up, Tezcatlipoca lowered his foot to lure it to the surface. [[DeliberateInjuryGambit After getting it bit clean off]], the two gods turned into snakes and strangled Cipactli, thus forming the North American continent.

Mesoamerican culture, as a whole, is [[{{Mayincatec}} often poorly understood among the general populace]]. Part of it is the fact that the names of the gods are [[TheUnpronounceable long and hard to pronounce]].[[note]]But see the notes for some quick-and-dirty help. Really, the names aren't so bad, once you get the hang of them. Take it one syllable at a time, use Spanish phonemes, and remember that (as in Spanish) the accent usually falls on the penultimate syllable unless there's an accent mark, in which case the accent falls there instead. Unlike Spanish, "tl" is pronounced as one sound, somewhat like a mix between English "ch/tch" and Welsh "ll", [tɬ] in IPA. Also, "x" is pronounced like English "sh" [ʃ], and "h" is pronounced like the stop [ʔ] in "uh-oh".[[/note]] Another part is its very complex and, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality to European sensibilities]], insane belief system. Indeed, the whole notion that deities are both good and bad and that all that is created is created as a duality is a very important aspect of pre-Columbian ideology, and something the conquistadors had a hard time wrapping their heads around (as do, to this day, [[{{Mayincatec}} several movie directors]]). Most important, however, is the sacrifices. Their rich culture and mythological tradition is usually boiled down to "[[HumanSacrifice They'd sacrifice people]]." And yes, they did practice human sacrifice to a scale and creativity possibly unique in human history. But this wasn't the only defining feature of their religion, and indeed they believed there was [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a damn good reason for it]].

Then, a bunch of Spaniards came. A lot has been writen about the idea that the Aztecs might have confused them for gods, or, more specifically, that they assumed conquistador Hernán Cortés to be the reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl. However, the history is rather spotty and it's plagued with ambiguous sources, bias from the conquistadors themselves, and straight up myths that have popped up through the centuries, dating as far back as the conquest. The best account most modern historians can agree on is that some Mesoamerican peoples probably assumed that the Spaniards were either supernatural beings or aided by supernatural forces (the Nahuatl word they used, ''teotl'', could indicate a god, a spirit, or simply something or someone extraordinary, similarly to a Greek hero). And some of those same people may have believed Cortés was Quetzalcoatl, but it's entirely possible they only did so ''after'' the Aztec Empire had fallen, as a retroactive way of framing and mythologizing the conquest[[note]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1rgsfl/is_there_any_truth_to_the_commonly_cited_fact/ Here]]'s a brief breakdown of the general consensus on the matter[[/note]]. Whatever the case, Cortés and other conquistadors alied themselves with the Aztecs' enemies and conquered Tenochtitlán, beginning the conquest and colonization of Central America and later of most of the Americas.

** There is also debate as to whether the popular legend that Montezuma believed Cortez was Quetzalcoatl was true or made up by the Spaniards post-Conquest.

* TheOldGods: Quetzacouatl was already an established god by the time of the Teotihuacan civilization (since there are depictions of him on their pyramids), over a thousand years before the Aztec Empire, and there are even earlier representations of feathered serpents in the Olmec civilization about a thousand years before ''that.'' Basically all of Mesoamerica had been worshipping some form of a feathered serpent for almost 2000 years by the time the Spanish arrived. While records of other Aztec gods have origin stories explaining where they came from and why you should care, Quetzacouatl does ''not''. Most of what we have are oblique references to stories which apparently everybody knew but nobody bothered to write down, possibly because it was so universally known nobody felt the need.

* TheOldGods: Quetzacouatl was already an established god by the time of the Teotihuacan civilization (since there are depictions of him on their pyramids), over a thousand years before the Aztec Empire, and there are even earlier representations of feathered serpents in the Olmec civilization about a thousand years before ''that.'' Basically all of Mesoamerica had been worshipping some form of a feathered serpent for almost 2000 years by the time the Spanish arrived. While records of other Aztecs gods have origin stories explaining where they came from and why you should care, Quetzacouatl does ''not''. Most of what we have are oblique references to stories which apparently everybody knew but nobody bothered to write down, possibly because it was so universally known nobody felt the need.

Mesoamerican culture, as a whole, is [[{{Mayincatec}} often poorly understood among the general populace]]. Part of it is the fact that the names of the gods are [[TheUnpronounceable long and hard to pronounce]].[[note]]But see the notes for some quick-and-dirty help. Really, the names aren't so bad, once you get the hang of them. Take it one syllable at a time, use Spanish phonemes, and remember that (as in Spanish) the accent usually falls on the penultimate syllable unless there's an accent mark, in which case the accent falls there instead. Unlike Spanish, "tl" is pronounced as one sound, somewhat like a mix between English "ch/tch" and Welsh "ll", [tɬ] in IPA. Also, "x" is pronounced like English "sh" [ʃ], and "h" is pronounced like the stop [ʔ] in "uh-oh".[[/note]] Another part is its very complex and, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality to European sensibilities]], insane belief system. Indeed, the whole notion that deities are both good and bad and that all that is created is created as a duality is a very important aspect of pre-Columbian ideology, and something the conquistadors had a hard time wrapping their heads around (as do, to this day, [[{{Mayincatec}} several movie directors]]). Most importantly, however, is the sacrifices. Their rich culture and mythological tradition is usually boiled down to "[[HumanSacrifice They'd sacrifice people]]." And yes, they did practice human sacrifice to a scale and creativity possibly unique in human history. But this wasn't the only defining feature of their religion, and indeed they believed there was [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a damn good reason for it]].

Mesoamerican culture, as a whole, is [[{{Mayincatec}} often poorly understood among the general populace]]. Part of it is the fact that the names of the gods are [[TheUnpronounceable long and hard to pronounce]].[[note]]But see the notes for some quick-and-dirty help. Really, the names aren't so bad, once you get the hang of them. Take it one syllable at a time, use Spanish phonemes, and remember that (as in Spanish) the accent usually falls on the penultimate syllable unless there's an accent mark, in which case the accent falls there instead. Unlike Spanish, "tl" is pronounced as one sound, somewhat like a mix between English "ch/tch" and Welsh "ll", [tɬ] in IPA. Also, "x" is pronounced like English "sh" [ʃ], and "h" is pronounced like the stop [ʔ] in "uh-oh".[[/note]] Another part is it's very complex and, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality to European sensibilities]], insane belief system. Indeed, the whole notion that deities are both good and bad and that all that is created is created as a duality is a very important aspect of pre-Columbian ideology, and something the conquistadors had a hard time wrapping their heads around (as do, to this day, [[{{Mayincatec}} several movie directors]]). Most importantly, however, is the sacrifices. Their rich culture and mythological tradition is usually boiled down to "[[HumanSacrifice They'd sacrifice people]]." And yes, they did practice human sacrifice to a scale and creativity possibly unique in human history. But this wasn't the only defining feature of their religion, and indeed they believed there was [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a damn good reason for it]].

Mesoamerican culture, as a whole, is [[{{Mayincatec}} often poorly understood among the general populace]]. Part of it is the fact that the names of the gods are [[TheUnpronounceable long and hard to pronounce]].[[note]]But see the notes for some quick-and-dirty help. Really, the names aren't so bad, once you get the hang of them. Take it one syllable at a time, use Spanish phonemes, and remember that (as in Spanish) the accent usually falls on the penultimate syllable unless there's an accent mark, in which case the accent falls there instead. Unlike Spanish, "tl" is pronounced as one sound, somewhat like a mix between English "ch/tch" and Welsh "ll", [tɬ] in IPA. Also, "x" is pronounced like English "sh" [ʃ], and "h" is pronounced like the stop [ʔ] in "uh-oh".[[/note]] Part of it is that it's a very complex and, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality to European sensibilities]], insane belief system. Indeed, the whole notion that deities are both good and bad and that all that is created is created as a duality is a very important aspect of pre-Columbian ideology, and something the conquistadors had a hard time wrapping their heads around (as do, to this day, [[{{Mayincatec}} several movie directors]]). Most importantly, however, is the sacrifices. Their rich culture and mythological tradition is usually boiled down to "[[HumanSacrifice They'd sacrifice people]]." And yes, they did practice human sacrifice to a scale and creativity possibly unique in human history. But this wasn't the only defining feature of their religion, and indeed they believed there was [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a damn good reason for it]].

* MirrorCharacter: Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca are often seen as this.

** [[UptoEleven For what that matters]], [[CosmicHorrorStory the whole pantheon was composed of those]].

Other important gods include the rain god '''Tlaloc'''[[note]](say):"tlah-lock"[[/note]], a monstrous blue creature with goggle eyes, a cleft lip, and jaguar fangs. Tlaloc was one of the oldest gods in Mesoamerica, with analogues dating back to the Olmec civilizations, and he's mostly famous for his child sacrifices. Another was '''Xipe Totec'''[[note]](say):"SHEE-peh TOW-tek"[[/note]], [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Flayed Lord]], the god of fertility, spring, and renewal, also being [[SplitPersonality Red Tezcatlipoca]]. He represented the maize plant, a golden food wrapped in a husk, so Xipe Totec was a golden god... wrapped in human skin. A tradition that his priests would emulate, killing a sacrificial victim and [[NemeanSkinning wearing their skin]]. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters Nowhere near last]], and certainly not least, was '''Huitzilopochtli'''[[note]] (say):"weet-see-low-POACH-tlee"[[/note]], Left-Handed Hummingbird, the majordomo war god and Blue Tezcatlipoca. Unlike almost every other god listed here, who were venerated throughout Nahua culture, Huitzilopochtli seems to have originated with the Mexica and been brought south with them. And Huitzilopochtli loved his heartburgers. You know the classic image of hundreds of prisoners being brought up an enormous step-pyramid where a high priest would methodically [[BeatStillMyHeart tear their hearts out and raise them to the sky]]? [[ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans That was Huitzilopochtli's festival day]].

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: There are over 100 specific deities and supernatural creatures that can be found in the myths.

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The Aztecs believed that the world we currently live in is actually the FIFTH world. There were four previous worlds destroyed, each with a different god serving as the sun. Our current sun is gonna end with an earthquake. [[HumanSacrifice And there's only one way to prevent it]].

* EverybodyLovesZeus: Inverted for Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec sun god. The Aztec's infamous reputation for HumanSacrifice came from their rituals in which still-beating hearts were offered to him so as to give him the strength to prevent eternal night from covering the land. And yet the threat of daylight ending forever wasn't enough to prevent the Aztec's vassals (from who the sacrifices were taken) from joining the conquistadors.

** The Tzitzimimeh, a group of skeleton women with [[{{Squick}} rattlesnake penises]]. Supposedly, during eclipses, the world was open for them to come down and start wreaking havoc. And there was only one way to prevent that. [[HumanSacrifice Go on, guess]].

* TheOldGods: Quetzacouatl was already an established god by the time of the Teotihuacan civilization (since there are depictions of him on their pyramids), over a thousand years before the Aztec Empire, and there are even earlier representations of feathered serpents in the Olmec civilization about a thousand years before ''that.'' Basically all of Mesoamerica had been worshipping some form of a feathered serpent for almost 2000 years by the time the Spanish arrived. While records of other Aztecs gods have origin stories explaining where they came from and why you should care, Quetzacouatl does ''not''. Most of what we have are merely oblique references to stories which apparently everybody knew but nobody bothered to write down, possibly because it was so universally known nobody felt the need.

* TheOldGods: Quetzacouatl was already an established god by the time of the Teotihuacan civilization (since there are depictions of him on their pyramids), over a thousand years before the Aztec Empire, and there are even earlier representations of feather serpents in the Olmec civilization about a thousand years before ''that.'' Basically all of Mesoamerica had been worshipping some form of a feathered serpent for almost 2000 years by the time the Spanish arrived. While records of other Aztecs gods have origin stories explaining where they came from and why you should care, Quetzacouatl does ''not''. Most of what we have are merely oblique references to stories which apparently everybody knew but nobody bothered to write down, possibly because it was so universally known nobody felt the need.

* TheOldGods: Quetzacouatl was already an established god by the time the Teotihuacan civilization was built (since there are depictions of him on their pyramids), and by the time the Aztecs became a thing, he was worshipped in some capacity in pretty much all of mesoamerica. Whereas most gods have an origin story that establishes them and why you should care, Quetzacouatl does not, probably because everyone already worshipped him, so why bother.