Aztec Mythology

Location: They were located on the plains of Mexico

Time Period

• 11th Century (1000) - the beginnong of the 16th century (1500s)

Interesting Facts

• Boys were taught arts, crafts, and trained to become warriors in school, while girls were taught to cook and take care of the home and children.
• The Aztecs were very rich and powerful with a very complex and develope political system.

Creation story

• The Earth Mother, Coatlicue, swam through the chaotic waters of darkness. She created the moon and stars as well. She had many children who lived in the heavens to rule the sky. She then tucked a ball of hummindbird feathers that she found into her dress, and later became pregnant from this. She then gave birth to the the Fiery Sun God, Huitzilopochtli. He then slayed her, sending her top half to the heavens and her bottom half to the seas, creating Earth. One of her sons, Quetzacoatl, then created humans from grey ash.

Earth Mother's Sacrifice

Type of creation

• Classification: World Parent

Atlacoya

Huehueteotl

remaining dieties

• Acuecucyoticihuati- Goddess of the ocean
• Atlacamani- Goddess of ocean storms
• Atlatonin- One of the names for the Aztec mother goddess
• Ayauhteotl- Goddess of fog and mist in the morning and night
• Chalchihuitlicue- Goddess of running water, fertility, and marriage
• Chicomecoatl- Goddess of maize
• Cipactli- Monster of the Earth
• Coyolxauhqui- Goddess of the moon
• Ehecatl- God of wind
• Huitzilopochtli- God of war, protector of the city, and the blazing midday sun

Aztec view on afterlife

• When one of the Aztecs died, they would bury their bodies in either the yard, a field, by the house, in special shrines in the woods, or even underneath their house. They would bury them in their best clothes and sometimes they would bury them with something special that they wanted to take to the afterworld. The Aztecs believed that the heaven that you went to (there were 13), was a direct result of how honorably or easily you died. For instance, if you got killed in battle, you would go to a heaven like paradise or go and join Huitzilopochtli in heaven's army. However, if you died a very easy death like old age, then you would go to their underworld, Mictlan, and they would have to traverse through many harsh terrains to ascend from Mictlan's top level to it's 9th and final level.
• "Ancient Aztec Perspective on Death and Afterlife." The Christi Center. N.p., 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.
• "Aztec Burials." Aztec Burials. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

Mictlan