What does mictlantecuhtli mean? god of the dead Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec god of the dead, usually portrayed with a skull face. With his wife, Mictecacíhuatl, he ruled Mictlan, the underworld. Why did the Aztecs worship mictlantecuhtli?
What does mictlantecuhtli mean?
god of the dead
Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec god of the dead, usually portrayed with a skull face. With his wife, Mictecacíhuatl, he ruled Mictlan, the underworld.
Why did the Aztecs worship mictlantecuhtli?
Mictlantecuhtli was such an important god in the Aztec pantheon because, as ruler of Mictlán, all souls would one day meet him face to face, for it was believed that only those who suffered a violent death, women who died in childbirth or people killed by storms or floods avoided the underworld in the afterlife.
What does Axolotl mean in Aztec?
The name “Axolotl” comes from Nahuatl, the Aztec language. One translation of the name connects the Axolotl to Xolotl. The most common translation is “water-dog” . “Atl” for water and “Xolotl” for dog.
How was mictlantecuhtli created?
Like several other early Aztec gods, Mictlantecuhtli was not born to another god, but was instead created by Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, and Huitzilopochtli during their construction of the universe.
Who is the god of Axolotls?
Axolotls are also named after the Ancient Aztec god, Xolotl. He was the god of fire, lightning, sickness, and deformities. He was depicted as a dog like creature, and was tasked with dragging the sun through the underworld at night.
Did Aztecs eat Axolotl?
The Aztecs and their descendants consumed axolotls as part of their diet, and the amphibians are still stirred into a syrup as a folk remedy for respiratory ailments. But in their only home, the canals of Xochimilco in the far south of the city, the axolotls’ decline has been precipitous.
What God did Aztec worship?
Huitzilopochtli
For the Aztecs, deities of particular importance are the rain god Tlaloc; Huitzilopochtli, patron of the Mexica tribe; Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent and god of wind and learning; and Tezcatlipoca, the shrewd, elusive god of destiny and fortune.