NAM - Aztec Mythology Lesson
Aztec Mythology Lesson
The Aztecs were an Indian people group who lived in Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest. The conquest occurred in 1521, which is when Cortez began trying to take over the land. The capital of Aztec people was Tenochtitlán, which is now Mexico city. Under the rule of Cortez, the Aztec people endured epidemics of smallpox, among other disastrous incidents. Like other Indian people groups, the religion of the Aztecs was intricate. The Aztec people worshiped many gods and goddesses. Take a look at one of the Aztec myths below.
Aztec Creation Myth
The great gods created five different worlds, though the gods created each one when the previous one failed. A sun of earth illuminated the first world, but the people of the first world executed improper acts, so the gods allowed jaguars to feast on their flesh.
A sun of air lit the second world, but the people lacked wisdom, so hurricane winds fell upon the earth, and the gods transformed the people into apes.
A sun of the rain of fire shined upon the third world, but the people demonstrated no respect for the gods by refusing to sacrifice for them, so volcanoes, earthquakes, and other fiery maladies destroyed them.
A sun of water illuminated the fourth world, and Quetzalcoatl created a race of humans from ash. These humans committed acts of greed, so the gods punished them with a great flood and converted the humans into fish. The Supreme Being salvaged one human couple, and informed them to create a hole in a tree and remain in it until the flood subsided; if they staid their greed by consuming only one corncob each, their lives would be spared. Unquenchable, the greed of the couple compelled them to roast the fish left by the flood, and so the furious gods transmuted them into canines.
A wealthy god and Nanautzin, an aesthetically disgusting god, created the fifth world with a sun with a combination of all four elements. The other gods commanded the wealthy god and Nanautzin to leap into the sacrificial fire to create the fifth world, but the wealthy god trembled at the thought, so Nanautzin courageously jumped in first, while the wealthy god followed in shame.
Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca destroyed a goddess that was consuming everything they were attempting to create by tearing her down the center of her body, so the upper half became the earth while the lower half became the sky. To compensate for her mutilation they bestowed gifts upon her such as flora, fauna, geological formations, and aquatic additions, and thus everything a human needed came from her, so the humans provided sacrifices to keep her content.
In the fifth world, Quetzalcoatl harvested corn he had stolen from the ants to nourish the human beings he planned to create. He then traveled to the Lord of the Dead Land and requested the bones of his father to utilize in the creation of the humans. The Lord of the Dead Land attempted to keep the bones from Quetzalcoatl; however, Quetzalcoatl triumphed over the Lord of the Dead Land, and eventually molded a new race of humans, both male and female, from bone meal of his father and his own blood.
Gods and Goddesses
Aztec culture worshiped many gods and goddesses. Here are just a few of the many important deities of the Aztec culture:
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