The Late Postclassic civilization called the Aztecs that the Spanish conquerors crossed paths within Mexico in the 16th century had praised and served a rich and diversified number of gods and goddesses, says an article.


Aztec Gods and Goddesses

According to scholars who studied the Aztec Religion, they have discovered at least 200 gods and goddesses of the Aztecs. These gods and goddesses were classified into three groups. Every group of gods and goddesses resembled an aspect of the universe, including rain, fertility, the sky, war, agriculture, and sacrifice.

Generally, the origins of the Aztec gods can be seen in the earlier parts of the Mesoamerican religions or those that are shared by other societies. These gods and goddesses are known as pan-Mesoamerican gods and goddesses.


Here are some of the Aztec gods and goddesses:

Huitzilopochtli- Father of the Aztecs

Huitzilopochtli was the father god of all the Aztecs. During the time of the Aztecs' great migration from their home Aztalan, Huitzilopochtli said to the Aztecs that they should build their capital city of Tenochtitlan.

Huitzilopochtli means 'the Hummingbird of the Left.' Additionally, he was the god of war and sacrifice for the Aztecs. The Aztecs made a shrine to honor him. The shrine was placed at the topmost part of the pyramid of the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan. It was decorated with skulls that were painted red. The red paint on Huitzilopochtli's shrine represents blood.


Tlaloc - God of Rain and Storms

Tlaloc is the Aztecs' god of rain. He is one of the oldest gods in all Mesoamerica. Also, he is associated with agriculture and fertility. His origins can be traced to Olmec, Maya, and Teotihuacan civilizations.

His main shrine was the second shrine after Huitzilopochtli's shrine. It is placed at the top part of Templo Mayor, the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Tlaloc's shrine is decorated with blue bands that represent water and rain. The Aztecs believed that the tears and cries of infants were sacred to Tlaloc. This had led to the Aztecs sacrificing children for ceremonies to honor Tlaloc.


Tonatiuh - God of the Sun

Tonatiuh was the Aztec's sun god. The Aztecs saw him as a nourishing god who gave the people warmth and fertility and honored him by providing sacrificial blood.

Also, Tonatiuh was the god of warriors. In Aztec mythology, he had watched over the era where the Aztecs were believed to live. That era is the era of the Fifth Sun. Additionally, the face at the center of the sunstone of the Aztecs is Tonatiuh's face.


Mayahuel - Goddess of Maguey

Mayahuel is the goddess of the maguey plant. The Aztecs perceived the sap of the plant as Mayahuel's blood. She is also known as the woman with 400 breasts that enable her to feed her children called the Centzon Totochtin.


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Tlaltecuhtli - Earth Goddess

Tlaltechutli is the earth goddess. She had required a lot of human sacrifices from the Aztecs to sustain her. She is a representation of the earth's surface where she devours the sun at night and gives it back the following day.