The origins of the Aztec Gods, like the origins of most gods, arose from an attempt of the people involved to understand and explain the world around them. They became forces of Nature and creation. Since most of the original legends and stories were lost during the destruction of the Aztec Empire, and also because there was no similarity in language between the “Old World” and “New World”, many of these gods have been forgotten or lost over the ages. There were several dozen and some of similar names, so they are often confusing. Let’s look at a few of the major gods from Aztec Folklore.

First and foremost there was Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. He was believed to have been based upon the person that unified the people of Central America and was symbolized as a rattlesnake with wings. He “founded” the Human Race and taught the people about maize. What was interesting about him was that in his human form, he was an old man with a beard, unusual in a race of people with no facial hair! Was he European and from some forgotten age of explorers? WE may never know.

Then there was Coatlique, who got pregnant by an obsidian knife and gave birth to the Moon and Stars. She then got pregnant a second time by a feather ball, which was taboo as gods were only allowed to be pregnant once, and gave birth to Huitzilopochtli. She eventually died and became the fertile soil of the earth.

Huitzilopochtli was rather violent and fought with everybody, being supported by a “fiery serpent” (Quetzalcoatl’s parent?). He became the Aztec War God, demanding sacrifices on stone slabs and was responsible for the Aztec war-like reputation.

And of course there was Tlaloc, a Rain and Thunder God. He caused the crops to grow and helped feed people. He also was violent and temperamental, withholding rain to cause droughts or sending flood to annoy people. He was symbolized by a cloud crowned human with blue eyes and jaguar fangs. This again is cause to believe of ancient travelers as blue eyes were not found in the Aztec People.

These are but a few of the Aztec Gods, there were also a God of Time, Gods of the Wind, several Sun or Solar Gods and even Tlazolteotl, the Eater of Filth God! To get a more complete listing, please check out the website www.azteccalendar.com/god or the book Ancient Civilizations by Greg Woolf; read, enjoy, and learn more about the ancient Americas!