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Briefly about the article: Gods and Monsters of Mesoamerica.

call of the jungle
Aztec bestiary

Religion, art and science are branches of the same tree.

Albert Einstein

In May of this year, we already wrote about the Aztecs - fierce warriors, cunning politicians and born administrators who built one of the most powerful empires in Mesoamerica. An empire, not the last role in the death of which was played by religion. belief supernatural beings made the Indians consider the Spaniards to be gods and tremble with fear at the sight of conquistadors riding hitherto unseen horses (which, however, did not prevent them from chopping off the heads of horses with one blow of macuahuitl swords). Many Aztecs could not even imagine that the “return” of Quetzalcoatl-Cortes would be the end of the world for them.

Only fragmentary information has been preserved about the bestiary of the Aztecs. The Spanish priests made sure that the fictional inhabitants of the South American jungle never left the bas-reliefs of the destroyed pyramids. However, even a few pictures in half-worn codices create a picture of an amazing world in which there were more gods than fantastic animals. Meet the fictional creatures that destroyed the real empire!

The Divine Comedy

The opening pages of the Aztec bestiary are devoted to the history of our world. In the first "sun" (epoch), the gods were greatly hindered by the giant Sipaktli, a hybrid of a fish and a crocodile, on each joint of which a head grew with an open hungry mouth. The gods descended down into the original world ocean, grabbed the poor monster by the limbs and began to pull in different directions until they tore the poor fellow to pieces. However, Cipactli managed to bite off Tezcatlipoca's leg, so in most of the drawings he flaunts with a stump.

The head of the monster became the heavens, the body became the earth, and the tail became the underworld (compare with the Sumerian myth of Tiamat). The gods populated the earth with giant people. But soon the celestials quarreled with each other, knocked the sun out of the sky with a stone club, and the angry Tezcatlipoca created jaguars and ordered them to devour all people.

When emotions subsided, the gods created new people - this time of a small size. At first everything went well, but then these ungrateful creatures stopped worshiping the celestials, and Tezcatlipoca decided to teach them a lesson by turning them into monkeys. Quetzalcoatl did not like this, and he blew off all the primates from the Earth, causing an unprecedented hurricane (some of the monkeys, apparently, escaped by clinging to the trees - this has been the case since then).

Cipactli. Even the most "brutal" gods were depicted in human form.

On the third "sun" Tezcatlipoca distinguished himself by seducing the wife of the rain god Tlaloc (he did not have to strain himself much, since he was dealing with the goddess of sex), who was temporarily acting as a daylight. The latter became so sad that he was distracted from his main work and gave people a great drought. They began to pray for rain, but the deranged god gave them an asymmetric answer in the form of a fiery hail that destroyed the entire Earth.

The gods quickly rebuilt it, but the restless Tezcatlipoca upset the goddess of the waters of Chalchiutlicue so much that she cried blood for 52 years, as a result of which some people drowned, and some turned into fish.

Now the era of the fifth "sun" is in the yard. The Aztecs supported his fight against the night by regularly gutting people on top of the pyramids. For almost 500 years, rituals have not been observed, however eternal darkness and the transformation into some animals (for example, blind moles) does not threaten us. According to ancient legends, the fifth world will perish from terrible earthquakes.

make a wish

Kant believed that a person is in awe of two things - the starry sky above his head and the moral law within himself. He obviously did not live among the Aztecs, who believed that the stars were Tzitzimime demons. Skinny women with claws are trying to extinguish the Sun, and during solar eclipses come down to earth and eat people. Probably, when they saw a shooting star, the Aztecs, just like us, made a wish. Survive.

An asterisk named Tsitzimime.

On the left - Venus through the eyes of the Romans. On the right is Tlahuiscalpantecuhtli, the planet Venus through the eyes of the Aztecs, the cruel and terrible god of the dawn, who loved to hit people from the sky with darts. In this sense, the "venereal disease" among the Aztecs is a penetrating wound.

high flying birds

The Aztec bestiary is interesting in that it mixes gods and animals. Many higher beings were associated with specific animals or had a zoomorphic appearance. And vice versa - many animals were endowed with divine features. In terms of the number of fictional creatures, the Aztecs are able to compete with the creators of the Dungeons & Dragons gaming system - they have about a hundred gods alone.

AT ancient legends The Aztecs are dominated by birds. The history of this people begins with herons. At least, the name of the legendary ancestral home - Astlana - is translated as "country of herons" *. From there, the Aztecs were brought out by a divine hummingbird named Huitzilopochtli (“hummingbird of the left side” or “left-handed hummingbird”), and they laid their capital in the place where an eagle sat on a cactus (and pecked at a snake, according to other versions of the legend, it ate a small bird or cactus itself).

*This fact is debatable, since in the Nahuatl language the "country of herons" sounds like "Aztatlán".

Soon the divine hummingbird transformed into one of the most important Aztec gods. He was born from the goddess Coatlicue - a rather sweet woman who wears a skirt of snakes and a necklace of human hearts, and has grown claws on her feet for digging graves. Once, when the goddess was sweeping the temple, a bunch of feathers fell on her. From this, the lady miraculously became pregnant, which greatly angered her daughter Coyolshauki. She planned to kill her mother, who disgraced herself with feathers. Huitzilopochtli, who was in the womb, heard about this and prepared himself well. Just before the murder, he jumped out of his mother in full combat gear, cut off his sister's head and threw it into the sky, where she became the moon. Even hummingbirds are sometimes dangerous.

Statue of Coatlicue.

The rain god Tlaloc looked like a human - except for owl eyes, jaguar fangs and snakes on his face. His "subordinate" animals are frogs and snakes. Those killed by lightning, drowned, lepers and gout fell into the heavenly domain of Tlaloc. Every year, in honor of this god, the Aztecs drowned many children.

Eagles were representatives solar god Tonatiu. “Branded” Aztec sacrifices are associated with the name of this deity, since blood was considered the “fuel” of the Sun, without which it would stop, go out and destroy the whole world. The number of victims was tens of thousands a year, although, perhaps, they were exaggerated by both the Aztecs themselves (so that the neighboring tribes were afraid of them) and the Spaniards (who wanted to put the Indians in a black light).

Tlazolteotl, "Eater of excrement", patroness of debauchery. During the drought years, a man was tied to the table for her and darts were thrown at him. The dripping blood symbolized rain.

Tonatiu (literally - "Sun") holds in his hand his symbol - an eagle.

At a simpler, everyday level, the Aztecs frightened their children with the bird Tkaklo Hork (literally - "Bird of Death"). She lived high in the mountains and was strong enough to grab a baby and drag it to her chicks in a nest strewn with human skulls.

In the animal world

Near the rivers, Aquizotl is picking - a creature like a black otter or a monkey with a dog's head, dexterous hands and an additional limb instead of a tail, which it sticks out of the water to grab prey. At night, Aquizotl imitates a crying child, luring gullible travelers. The body of the victim, dragged under the water, soon emerges. The flesh is whole, not a single scratch on the skin. Only eyes, teeth and nails are missing - this monster considers them the most delicious.

The dog is biting

In Dungeons & Dragons (Fiend Folio) you can find a demonic Aztec monkey named Aquizotl. She has a dog's head and paws, a hand grows instead of a tail. In addition, among the Pokémon there is Aipom - a copy of Aquizotl, only without cannibal habits.

Aquizotl and his distant cousin Aypom.

In the case of Aquizotl, the "dog rummaged" through history. That was the name of the Aztec emperor who ruled from 1486 to 1502. Its coat of arms depicted a dog-like creature with an arm instead of a tail. The reign of Aquizotl was short and despotic even by the standards of the harsh Aztecs, so that popular memory quickly turned the tyrant into a monster dog.

The god Xolotl had three forms: a skeleton, a dog-headed man, or a monstrous beast with legs turned backwards. He served as a conductor of souls in the underworld, sent lightning, fire and bad luck to people.

Xolotl and his bald guide of souls.

In honor of Xolotl, an ancient breed of hairless Mexican dogs (Xoloitzkuntli) was named. The Aztecs believed that Xolotl made these dogs from bone meal mixed with blood from the penis of Quetzalcoatl - that is, from the same material as people. The Indians kept these dogs as sacred pets, believing that after the death of the owner, they would take his soul to the right place. That, however, did not prevent them from serving scholoitzkuntli on the table in a fried form (dishes from dogs caused the Spaniards no less shock than the steps of the pyramids covered in blood).

Another Aztec dog is the goddess Chantico, "She who lives in the house." The scope of her metaphysical responsibility is quite diverse: home, ripening corn and volcanic eruptions. Once during a fast, this agricultural volcanic goddess could not resist and ate fried fish with paprika. The use of paprika during fasting was forbidden, so the apostate was turned into a dog. Occasionally, she takes the form of a red snake. You can identify Chantico by the crown of poisonous cactus thorns on his head.

The Aztecs appointed Coyote as the god of music, dance and fun named Huehuecoyotl. To the body of a coyote, folk fantasy attached human limbs. He can change his appearance and, like the Scandinavian Loki, loves practical jokes. As a rule, the coyote's jokes with the gods eventually turn against him. Sometimes Huehuecoitl gets bored and starts wars between people.

The jaguar was identified with a god named Tepeyolotl, that is, "Heart of the Mountains." He lived in mountain caves, filled the earth with his roar (produced earthquakes) and created mountain echoes, and his skin was covered with spots symbolizing the stars in the night sky. In addition, the jaguar was one of the favorite images of Tezcatlipoca - the “smoking mirror”, the sorcerer god, the patron saint of priests and the destroyer of the world.

The fire god Xicutecuhtli. It was to him that the ashes of burnt human hearts were dedicated.

The second "sun" ended with a hurricane and the transformation of people into monkeys, so it is quite logical that the wind god Ehecatl is depicted with a monkey body. His head is decorated with a red bird's beak, and a snake moves instead of a tail. This spectacle may seem unsympathetic to some, but according to the legends, Ehecatl brought love to our world, the first of the gods to love the mortal woman Mayahual. Probably, it was then that the stereotype arose that a man should be only slightly more beautiful than a monkey. The main thing is that in something else he should not yield to God.

Huehuecoyotl, "Old Old Coyote".

Jaguar Tepeyolotl, "Heart of the Mountains".

Mayahual. She became a goddess thanks to rabbits and agave.

One day, Mayahual noticed that a rabbit that had eaten agaves was running around the field in a completely inadequate state. So she discovered the alcoholic potential of this cactus, for which the gods made Mayahual a goddess - the personification of the agave. According to legend, she gave birth to Senzon Totochin - 400 rabbits, who became the patrons of intoxication (there is evidence that the Aztecs measured the degree of intoxication on a scale from 1 to 400 rabbits). Until now, in Mexico, before drinking pulque, it is customary to splash a little drink on the floor as a sacrifice to rabbits.

Later, Mayahual married the god Patecatl, who personified herbs and roots. His name is translated appropriately: "He is from the country of medicines." The Aztecs perceived the concept of “medicine” in a rather peculiar way, so the patronage of alcohol became the main function of Patekatl.

Pulque. Until recently, it was not bottled and sold only in Mexico.

Hidden in dry cotton trees are doors leading to the realm of chaneks - peculiar elementals, spirits of nature, protecting it from humans. If necessary, they attack him and “knock out” the soul from the body, after which they take it to their depths of the earth. There are rituals that call the soul back, but if they are not performed in time, the body will die. Later versions of the legends describe the chaneks as children with the faces of old men.

One of Pratchett's Discworld characters was named Twoflower. And the Aztecs had the god of intemperance Macuilxochitl, which literally means "Five flowers". He was often depicted as a turtle with a human head. At the base of the statues were carved images of psychoactive mushrooms, tobacco, olilukwi (seeds of Turbina corymbosa, a decoction of which was given to suspects in a crime so that they would tell the truth), chemia willifolia (an auditory hallucinogen that changes the perception of sounds and paints the world in yellow-white tones, because for which the plant was called "opening the sun"). Other "flowers" are not identified.

Patekatl. Pay no attention to his appearance. He's from the land of drugs.

Considering this, as well as the fact that Macuilxochitl was usually depicted with his mouth open and his eyes rolled back, scientists conclude about the "profession" of this god. He did not patronize ordinary gluttons or drunkards, but mostly drug addicts. Or rather, to the priests who entered the narcotic ecstasy, as to their home.

The full-fledged goddess of flowers was Xochiquetzal, the "Flower Bird" (according to the Aztec custom, she was also responsible for things very far from the flora - for example, dances, games and prostitution). Her retinue consisted of birds and butterflies. Unlike other Aztec gods, the flower goddess did not require her worshipers to choke each other with their own intestines. It was enough for her that people held flower festivals once every 8 years.

The goddess of corn bore the name Chicometoatl, which means "Seven Serpents". In September, a girl was appointed to be her, who at the end of the month was beheaded, the blood was drained from her body and the statue of the goddess was watered. The priest removed the skin from the corpse and wore it on himself.

The Aztecs greatly respected snakes and dedicated them to many gods. "White Cloud Serpent" was called Mixcoatl, the patron saint of heaven and hunting. Its physical embodiment was the Milky Way - a large white "snake" behind the clouds. Previously, he had the appearance of a deer or a rabbit, but later became a snake-man, shooting lightning arrows and carving heavenly fire with flint.

Macuilxochitl, aka Xochipilli. What fun - such a god.

According to the myths, Mixcoatl's favorite pastime was the impregnation of unsuspecting goddesses with the help of the most inappropriate objects for this. He is suspected of the above-described pregnancy of Coatlicue, where the god took the form of a ball of feathers. Another legend says that he turned into a stone knife and fell on Coatlicue, which is why she gave birth to the stars and the moon.

Shochiketsal. If you want to please her - wear a mask of flowers.

god of long knives

The Aztecs deified everything, but among the gods of maize, fog or steam baths special place occupied by the god of knives Itztli (literally - "Knife"). Stone knives were the main tools of the Aztec - they worked on the housework, they opened the victims with them and they bled themselves for the glory of the gods. Itztli was considered a servant of the villain Tezcatlipoca.

The cutting edge of a well-crafted obsidian can reach a molecular thickness unattainable by steel knives.

Hunters worshiped Mixcoatl in the traditional Aztec way - during the autumn festivities they killed a specially chosen woman by hitting her head on a stone four times. Then the head was cut off, and a specially selected man showed it to all those gathered. After that, his heart was cut out.

Mixcoatl, Large White Snake.

Serpents can also include Cihuacoatl (literally "Snake Woman"), one of the ancient goddesses Mesoamerica. As her name implies, the incarnation of Cihuacoatl was snakes, less often eagles. She patronizes women who died during childbirth, midwives and steam baths, where the Aztecs most often had childbirth. One of her incarnations was Tonatsin - a frog swallowing a stone knife. Statues of Cihuacoatl usually stood with their mouths open. The goddess craved sacrifices, so people were killed for her every day in Tenochtitlan.

The retinue of the snake woman was siuateteo - the spirits of dead women in childbirth. Childbirth was considered a kind of battle, and in terms of honor, dead women in childbirth were equated with fallen soldiers. The remains of such women allegedly could give strength to male fighters (it is not clear whether they were used as amulets, or it was about cannibalism), and their ghosts came out at night at crossroads and arranged all sorts of nasty things: they kidnapped children, drove them crazy or persuaded men to adultery.

Ziuateteo. For the ghost of a woman who died in agony, looks good.

Fairy serpents often appear in the aforementioned legend of Huitzilopochtli and Coyolxauci. For example, the fiery serpent Xiucoatl served as a sword, with which the hummingbird god cut off his sister-moon's head. Serpents wrap around the arms of the Coyolshauki statue - probably so that no one would even think of encroaching on the golden bells that adorned the face of the goddess, or on her bare chest.

Huitzilopochtli holding Xiucoatl.

The Aztecs paid much attention to fictional insects. These, for example, include the most ordinary flea. Yes, bug. With the face of a monkey, cat paws and armadillo shell. Other popular mythological characters are the scorpion and the grasshopper. A man named Yappan gave a celibate dinner, but at the instigation of the evil god Yaotl, he violated it and was turned into a scorpion. Now, out of shame, he hides under rocks and pursues Yaotl, who has been turned into a grasshopper by the other gods.

Divine Yappan.

And above all this disgrace, the butterfly of fate Itzpapalotl flies. Her wings are studded with obsidian blades, she has jaguar claws on her hands, eagle claws on her feet, and a knife instead of a tongue. Scientists do not rule out that the "clawed butterfly" was actually a bat.

Ishtlillon ("Someone small with a black face") was a god of health who specialized in children. When a child first began to speak, a sacrifice was made to Ishtlilion. In front of his statue, jugs with "black water" were exhibited, which could then be used to treat children.

The good water goddess Chalchiutlicue, which literally means "Lady in a green skirt", "supervises" the fish, in the creation of which she was most directly involved. Water flows out of her raincoat, in which small children swim.

Chalchiuhtlicue with a water cloak.

Bats, spiders and owls were associated with Mictlantecuhtli, the lord of Mictlan (the underworld), the sweetest character in the form of a bloodied skeleton. The dog-headed god Xolotl worked as a conductor of souls to his world. The entrance to the underworld was guarded by a huge black cougar - a god named Akolmistli ("Strong Cat"). Her roar was so terrible that the living did not dare to enter underground. People who died of natural causes ended up in Mictlan. Interestingly, one of the ways to worship Mictlantheculi was ritual cannibalism, which in the case of people who died of old age and disease, was not a good idea.

Metzli - The Moon, which once had the imprudence to shine as brightly as the Sun. The excessive illumination annoyed the gods, so one of them took the rabbit and threw it into the moon. Metzli's light faded. The poor animal can be seen even now. Particularly well lunar spots add up to a rabbit during a full moon.

Aztec deities according to the Lego company.

It is interesting
To the west of the Mexican city of Pueblo is the Cholua Pyramid. According to legend, it was built by Kelua - one of the giants who inhabited the earth before people and escaped the wrath of the gods in the mountains. Cholua is the largest pyramid and the largest monument of mankind, surpassing the pyramid of Cheops by almost 30%.
Mixcoatl is named after one of the craters on Jupiter's moon Io, as well as a rare species of salamander (Pseudoeurycea mixcoatl) that lives in the Mexican mountains.
The statue of the goddess Coatlicue appears in a dream to Shadow, the protagonist of Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods.
In 1978, during the construction of the Mexico City subway, a large round stone with the image of a dismembered Coyolxauca was found. This find eventually led archaeologists to the buried ruins of the main temple of Tenochtitlan.
Perhaps the word "Mexico" comes from the name of the moon god Metzli.

Only part of the Cholua pyramid has been excavated from the ground. To date, archaeologists have already explored 8 km of internal tunnels.

Mesoamerica is characterized by an unusually high concentration of divine beings. It is difficult to meet "ordinary" monsters like a unicorn or a basilisk here. Many ordinary animals have a supernatural patron - and who knows, maybe our favorite god was embodied in that jaguar? It is a pity that the Aztec culture was destroyed, otherwise we would have known their mythology better, and the D&D bestiary would have been replenished with creatures with bright feathers and sharp teeth.

In essence, no matter how inhuman the religion of the Aztecs may seem, their bestiary is not much different from the menageries of other cultures. The same motives, the same legends. And lots and lots of blood.

The god of death and the lord of the underworld, the worst world of all the nine hell realms. Usually Ah Puch was depicted as a skeleton or a corpse, or in an anthropomorphic form with a skull instead of a head, black cadaveric spots on the body; his headdress is shaped like an owl's head or a caiman's head.

Cavil - one of the supreme gods of the Maya, the lord of the elements, causing earthquakes, possibly the god of thunder and war. Its permanent attribute is the ax-celt.

Camashtli is the god of the stars, the polar star, hunting, battles, clouds and fate. Creator of fire, one of the four gods who created the world.

Quetzalcoatl is the creator god of the world, the creator of man and culture, the lord of the elements, the god of the morning star, twins, the patron of the priesthood and science, the ruler of the capital of the Toltecs - Tollana. Quetzalcoatl - "a snake covered with green feathers."

Kukulkan - the god of the four Holy Gifts - fire, earth, air and water; and each element was associated with a divine animal or plant: Air, Eagle, Earth, Corn, Fire, Lizard, Water, Fish.

Metzli - in Aztec mythology - the god of the moon. Metzli is often depicted as a black disc or a vessel of water with a rabbit on it.

Mictlantecuhtli is the ruler of the realm of the dead. In the mythology of the Aztecs, the god of the afterlife (underground) world and the underworld, was depicted as a skeleton or with a skull instead of a head; his constant companions are a bat, a spider and an owl.

Mixcoatl - "cloud serpent". Initially among the Chichimecas, Michcoatl was a deity of the hunt, revered in the form of a deer. Later, the Aztecs are associated with the cult of Huitzilopochtli and are considered as the progenitor of the Nahua tribes.

Sinteotl is the god of corn. He was considered the patron saint of farmers.

Tezcatlipoca is one of the three main gods; patron of priests, punishing criminals, lord of the stars and cold, lord of the elements, causing earthquakes; he is the god-demiurge and at the same time the destroyer of the world.

Tlaloc - the god of rain and thunder, agriculture, fire and the south side of the world, the lord of all edible plants; the Maya have Chak, the Totonacs have Tahin, the Mixtecs have Tsavi, and the Zapotecs have Cosiho-Pitao.

Tonatiu - in Aztec mythology, the god of the sky and the sun, the god of warriors. The cult of Tonatiu was one of the most important in Aztec society. Tonatiu governs the 5th, current world age. Depicted as a young man with a red face and fiery hair.

Huitzilopochtli - the god of the blue clear sky, the young sun, hunting, the special patron of the youth of the Aztec nobility. In other myths, Huitzilopochtli among the Aztecs is the god of war, to whom the most brutal, bloody human sacrifices were brought.

Chak (Chaak) is the god of rain, thunder and lightning. It is assumed that, originally Chak, was the god of cleansing the forest, later became the god of rain and water, and the deity of agriculture.

Xipe Totec - in the mythology of the Aztecs, a deity that goes back to the ancient deities of spring vegetation and crops, the patron of goldsmiths. Mystical god of agriculture, spring and the seasons.

Yum Kaash - "lord of the forests". In Maya mythology, the young god of corn is also known as Ium-Viila. He was depicted as a young man or teenager with a head turning into an ear, or with wavy hair like maize leaves.

Aztec and Mayan Goddesses

Ishtab - in Mayan mythology, the goddess of suicide and the wife of Kami. In the Mayan tradition, suicide, especially hanging, was considered a noble way of death, comparable to the human victims of the sacrificial rite and the killed warriors.

Ixchel - in Mayan mythology, the goddess of the moon, moonlight and rainbows, the patroness of weaving, medical knowledge and childbearing; was considered the wife of Itzamna. Pretty girls were sacrificed to her.

Coatlicue is the goddess of earth and fire, the mother of the gods and stars of the southern sky. It contains both the beginning and the end of life. She was depicted in clothes made of snakes. At the same time, Coatlicue is the goddess of death, because. the earth devours everything that lives.

Coyolxauqui - in Aztec mythology, the goddess of the moon. owns magic power capable of causing great harm.

Head of a deity from Copan, 9th century

Mayan mythology. Among the Mayan people, knowledge and religion were inseparable from one another and constituted a single worldview, which was reflected in their art. Ideas about the diversity of the surrounding world were personified in the images of numerous deities, which can be combined into several main groups corresponding to different areas of human experience: the gods of hunting, the gods of fertility, the gods of various elements, the gods of heavenly bodies, the gods of war, the gods of death, and so on. In different periods of Maya history, these or other gods could have different significance for their worshipers. The Maya believed that the universe consisted of 13 heavens and 9 underworlds. In the center of the earth was a tree that passed through all the heavenly spheres.

On each of the four sides of the earth stood another tree, symbolizing the countries of the world - the east corresponded to the mahogany, the south - yellow, the west - black and the north - white. Each side of the world had several gods (wind, rain and heaven holders), who had the corresponding color. One of the important gods of the Maya of the classical period was the god of corn, represented in the guise of a young man with a high headdress.

By the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, Itzamna, represented as an old man with a hooked nose and beard, was considered another important deity. As a rule, images of Mayan deities included a variety of symbolism, which speaks of the complexity of the thinking of customers and performers of sculptures, reliefs or drawings. So, the sun god had large crooked fangs, his mouth was outlined by a strip of circles. The eyes and mouth of another deity are depicted as coiled snakes, etc. Among the female deities, the “red goddess”, the wife of the rain god, was especially significant, judging by the codes; she was depicted with a snake on her head and with the paws of some predator instead of legs. Itzamna's wife was the moon goddess Ish-Chel; it was believed that it helps in childbirth, in weaving and in medicine.

Some Mayan gods were represented in the form of animals or birds: a jaguar, an eagle. In the Toltec period of Maya history, the veneration of deities of Central Mexican origin spread among them. One of the most respected gods of this kind was Kukulkan, in whose image elements of the god Quetzalcoatl of the Nahua people are obvious.

At present, the following Mayan mythological deities are accepted and recognized by most scientists: the god of rain and lightning - Chak (Chaak or Chac); god of death and lord world of the dead- Ah Puch (Ah Puch); the god of death - Kimi (Cimi); the lord of the sky - Itzamna (Itzamna); the god of trade - Ek Chuah; the goddess of sacrifices and ritual suicides - Ish-Tab (IxTab); the goddess of the rainbow and moonlight - Ish-Chel (IxChel); the riding god, the feathered serpent Quetzal - Kukulkan (Gukumatz); the god of corn and forests - Jum Kaash; the god of fire and thunder - Huracan; demon of the underworld - Zipacna and others. An example of Mayan mythology of the pre-Hispanic period is provided by the epic of one of the peoples of Guatemala, the Quiché, Popol Vuh, preserved from colonial times. It contains plots of the creation of the world and people, the origin of the twin heroes, their struggle with the underground lords, etc.

Mayan hieroglyphs, bas-relief, 10th century

Maya worship of deities was expressed in complex rituals, part of which were sacrifices (including human ones) and a ball game. Chichen Itza had a ball court, the largest in all of Mexico. From two sides it was closed by walls, and from two more - by temples. The ball game was not just a sport. Many archaeological discoveries indicate that it was clearly associated with human sacrifice. Headless people are depicted in relief on the walls surrounding the site. There are three platforms around the site: the platform of "Venus" (Quetzalcoatl) with the tomb of Chak-Mool, the platform of the Eagle and the Jaguar with the temple of the Jaguar, and the platform of the Skulls. Huge statues of Chak-Mool depict him reclining, with a dish for sacrifices on his stomach. Stakes were placed on the platform of the Skulls, on which the severed heads of the victims were strung.

Maya writing. For a long time it was believed that the Maya were the inventors of writing and the calendar system. However, after similar but more ancient signs were found in places remote from the Maya region, it became apparent that the Maya inherited some elements of earlier cultures. Mayan writing was of the hieroglyphic type. Mayan hieroglyphs are preserved in four manuscripts (the so-called Mayan codices, three in Dresden, Madrid, Paris, the fourth codex is partially preserved).

Hieroglyphs give either images of figures, or are combined into groups of four or six hieroglyphs above figured images. Calendar signs and numbers accompany the entire text. Schellgas (in "Zeitschrift fuer Ethnologie", 1886) and Zehler (in "Verhandlungen der Berliner Anthropologischen Gesellschaft" and in "Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie", 1887) did a lot for the analysis of hieroglyphs. The latter proved that groups of hieroglyphs are made up of one hieroglyph referring to the action depicted in the picture below them, another hieroglyphically signifying the corresponding god, and two more reporting the attributes of the god. The hieroglyphs themselves are not combinations of elements representing a known sound or sound combination, but almost exclusively ideograms. Paul Schellgas systematized images of Mayan deities in three codes: Dresden, Madrid and Paris. The list of deities of Shellgas consists of fifteen Mayan gods. He identified most of the hieroglyphs directly related to these deities and denoting their names and epithets.

As a rule, the texts went in parallel with the graphic representation of the plot. With the help of writing, the Maya could record long texts of various contents. Thanks to the efforts of several generations of researchers, it became possible to read ancient texts. A significant contribution was made by our compatriot, Yuri Valentinovich Knorozov, whose first publications on this topic appeared in the early 1950s. He published the monograph "Writing of the Mayan Indians". It reproduced in facsimile the texts of the surviving Mayan manuscripts (codexes), compiled, possibly even before the Spanish conquest, in the 12th-15th centuries and named after the cities in which they are now stored - Dresden, Madrid and Paris. The book also contained principles of decipherment, a catalog of hieroglyphs, a dictionary of the early colonial Yucatan Maya language, and a grammar of the Maya language. In 1975, in the book Maya Hieroglyphic Manuscripts, Knorozov suggested reading the manuscripts and translating them into Russian. The texts of the codes turned out to be a kind of manual for priests with a list of rituals, sacrifices and predictions related to different types of Mayan economy and to all social strata of the population, except for slaves. Brief descriptions of the activities of the gods served as indications of what to do for the respective groups of inhabitants. In turn, the priests, guided by the descriptions of the actions of the deities, could set the time for ceremonies, sacrifices, and the implementation of certain works; they could also predict the future.

Drawing on the skin of the Aztec calendar

Mayan calendar. To calculate the time, the Maya used a complex calendar system that included several cycles. One of them represented a combination of numbers from 1 to 13 ("week") and 20 "months", which had their own names. Was also in use solar calendar with a year of 365 days. It consisted of 18 months of twenty days and five "extra" or "unlucky" days.

In addition, the Maya used the so-called long account, which, in addition to the 20-day month and 18-month year, took into account a 20-year period (katun); a period of 20 katuns (baktun) and so on. There were other ways of dating. All these ways have changed over time, which makes it much more difficult to correlate the dates recorded by the Maya with European chronology.

Aztec mythology. Among the Aztecs, who came to the Valley of Mexico from the north of the country in the 13th century and adopted the ideas of their predecessors, the Toltecs, as well as the Zapotecs, Mayans, Mixtecs and Tarascos, the main motives of mythology are the eternal struggle of two principles (light and darkness, sun and moisture, life and death). etc.), the development of the universe in certain stages or cycles, the dependence of man on the will of the deities, personifying the forces of nature, the need to constantly feed the gods with human blood, without which they would die, the death of the gods would mean a worldwide catastrophe.

According to the myths, the universe was created by Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl and went through four stages (or eras) of development. The first era ("Four Jaguars"), in which Tezcatlipoca was the supreme deity in the form of the Sun, ended with the extermination of the tribe of giants who then inhabited the earth by the jaguars. In the second era ("Four Winds"), Quetzalcoatl became the Sun, and it ended with hurricanes and the transformation of people into monkeys. Tlaloc became the Third Sun, and his era ("Four Rains") ended with a worldwide fire. In the fourth era ("Four waters") the Sun was the water goddess Chalchiutlicue; this period ended with a flood, during which people turned into fish. The modern, fifth era ("Four Earthquakes") with the sun god Tonatiu must end with terrible cataclysms.

The Aztecs actually worshiped many gods. different levels and significance - personal, domestic, communal, as well as general Aztec. Among the latter, a special place was occupied by the god of war Huitzilopchtli, the god of night and fate Tezcatlipoca, the god of rain, water, thunder and mountains Tlaloc, the god of the wind and the patron of the priests Quetzalcoatl (“Feathered Serpent”). The goddess of earth and fire, the mother of the gods and stars of the southern sky - Coatlicue (the mother of the sun god Huitzilopochtli, she simultaneously contains the beginning and end of life, she was depicted in clothes made of snakes). Shipe was the god of agriculture. They also revered the god and goddess of maize. There were gods who patronized the art of weaving, healing, gathering. The Aztecs believed that, depending on the type of death, the souls of the dead were sent either to underworld, or to the country of the god Tlaloc, which was considered an earthly paradise, or to the heavenly dwelling of the sun god. This highest honor was awarded to brave warriors, people who were sacrificed, and women who died in childbirth. The Aztecs had a complex system of rituals, consisting of a cycle of festivities tied mainly to the agricultural calendar. Various dances and ball games were part of these rituals.

An important ritual was the offering of human blood to the gods. The Aztecs believed that only a constant flow of blood kept the gods young and strong. Bloodletting was widely practiced, for which the tongue, earlobes, limbs and even the genitals were pierced. Priests resorted to such operations several times a day. Most of all, the gods required human sacrifice. They took place at the top of the pyramids at the temple of one or another deity. Were known different ways killing the victim. Sometimes up to six priests participated in the ritual. Five held the victim with his back on the ritual stone - four held by the limbs, one by the head. The sixth opened the chest with a knife, pulled out the heart, showed it to the sun and placed it in a vessel that stood in front of the image of the deity. The headless body was thrown down. It was picked up by the person who gave the victim or captured her. He took the body home, where he separated the limbs and prepared ritual food from them, which he shared with relatives and friends. It was believed that eating the victim, who, according to the Aztecs, personified God, attached to God himself. In a year, the number of people sacrificed could reach up to three thousand people.

Aztec writing. For the record historical events, calendar, astronomical phenomena and rituals, as well as to account for land and taxes, the Aztecs used a written language that combined hieroglyphic and pictographic principles. Letters were applied with a pen brush on deer skin, fabric or maguey paper. Several Aztec documents have survived to this day, apparently compiled after the arrival of the Spaniards, these are the codes of Cospi (Cospi), Magliabechiano (Magliabechiano), Borgia (Borgia), Bourbons (Borbonicus), Ixtlilxochitl (Ixtlilxochitl). History has preserved the names of several dozen poets from peoples who spoke the Nahua languages. The most famous was Nezahualcoyotl (1402-1472), the ruler of Texcoco.

To calculate time, the Aztecs used two calendars, a ritual of 260 days and a solar one, which had eighteen twenty-day months and five more unlucky days. The names of the months in the calendar corresponded to the names of agricultural plants. The combination of the two types of timing gave the Aztecs, like the Maya, a repeating 52-year cycle.

The mythology of the ancient Aztecs is mysterious and difficult. The names of the gods are especially difficult in it. Sometimes, in order to pronounce the name of this or that celestial without hesitation, you need to train for a very long time ... well, or break your tongue in an attempt to pronounce this name. Here are 10 gods with the most complex and tricky names.

Akuekukiotisiuati (Acuecucyoticihuati) - Goddess of the ocean, flowing water and rivers. Associated with the cult of Chalchiutlicue - is her incarnation. Supports working women.

Ayauhteotl is the goddess of hoarfrost and fog, observed only at night or early in the morning. Associated with vanity and celebrity.
Itzpapalotl - "Obsidian Butterfly", the goddess of fate associated with the cult of plants. It was originally one of the hunting deities among the Chichimecs. She was depicted as a butterfly with wings studded with obsidian blades at the edges, or as a woman with jaguar claws on her arms and legs. She was killed by Mixcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl - "Feathered Serpent". In the mythology of the Aztecs and Toltecs, the demiurge god, the creator of man and culture, the lord of the elements. One of the main gods of the Toltecs, Aztecs and other peoples of central Mesoamerica. He took part in the creation and destruction of various world epochs, and ruled one of the world epochs, creating for this epoch a man from the bones of people of previous epochs, collected in Mictlan. He is also the god of the winds Ehecatl (one of his forms), and the god of waters and abundance. As the god of the waters, he commanded lightning, which in its forms reminded the Aztecs of the silhouettes of celestial serpents. He is believed to be the son of Coatlicue and the twin brother of Xolotl. As a bearer of culture, he gave the world corn (maize) and a calendar, and is the patron of arts and crafts. According to one of the myths, after his death he turned into the morning star (Venus) and became associated with Tlahuitzcalpantecuhtli. Among the Toltecs, Tezcatlipoca ("smoking mirror") acted as his opponent. Later, the Aztecs made it a symbol of death and rebirth, and the patron saint of priests. The priests of the highest ranks were called by his name - Quetzalcoatl. The god Quetzalcoatl is often associated with the Toltec priest-ruler Topiltzin Ce Acatl, who ruled Tula in the 10th century. The priest was the son of Michcoatl (Camaxtli) and Chimalman, and was born in Michatlauco (Michatlauhco) "Deep waters where fish live." The cult of Quetzalcoatl was widespread in Teotihuacan, Tula, Xochilco, Cholula, Tenochtitlan and Chichen Itza.

Malinalxochi is Huitzilopochtli's sister. A sorceress with power over scorpions, snakes, and other stinging and biting desert insects.

Mictlantecuhtli - "Lord of the Realm of the Dead". In the mythology of the Aztecs, the lord of the afterlife (underground) world and the underworld, was depicted as a skeleton or with a skull instead of a head with protruding teeth; his constant companions are a bat, a spider and an owl. His wife is Mictlancihuatl. According to myths, Quetzalcoatl descended to the 9th underworld to Mictlantheculi for the bones of the dead in order to create new people. Knowing that Mictlantecuhtli was distrustful and prone to deceit, Quetzalcoatl, having received the request, rushed to run. Angry, Mictlantecuhtli pursued him and ordered the quail to attack the creator god. In a hurry, Quetzalcoatl stumbled, fell on the bones, broke them and with difficulty slipped out of the underworld, carrying off the prey. Having sprinkled the bones with his blood, Quetzalcoatl created people, but since the broken bones were of different sizes, men and women differ in height.
Popocatepetl is a young warrior who fell in love with Istaxihuatl, the daughter of the ruler. The gods, taking pity on them, turned them into mountains of the same name. His name is not so difficult to pronounce, but how funny it sounds ...

Tlasolteotl (Tlazolteotl) - "Goddess - devourer of dirt (excrement)." Goddess of the earth, fertility, sex, sexual sins and repentance (hence her name: devouring dirt, she cleanses humanity of sins); mistress of the night. According to legend, she got her name like this - one day she came to a dying man who confessed his sins, and she cleansed his soul by eating all the "dirt". Tlasolteotl is one of ancient deities Mesoamerica, goes back to the "goddess with braids"; the Aztecs probably borrowed her cult from the Huastecs. She is also known by other names: Tosi (“our grandmother”), Tlalli-ipalo (“heart of the earth”), Ishkuina, Teteoinnan (“mother of the gods”), Chikunawi-acatl (“nine reeds”), etc. Tlazolteotl was portrayed sometimes naked, sometimes in clothes; features- nasal insert in the form of a crescent, a headdress made of quail feathers with a piece of cotton wool and two spindles, the color of the face is yellow; its symbol is a broom, or a man absorbing excrement. At the festival in her honor, a girl was sacrificed, a jacket was made from her skin, which was worn by a priest who personified the goddess. This was followed by her symbolic reunion with the god of war and the sun Huitzilopochtli and the birth of the god of young maize. During the years of drought, Tlasolteotl (in the guise of Ishkuina) sacrificed a man. Having tied him to a post, they threw darts at him (the dripping blood symbolized rain). Tlasolteotl was considered the patroness of sinners.

Ueuecoyotl - "Old, old coyote." The god of sex and unbridled fun, songs and dances, one of the incarnations of Makuilshochitl (Shochipili); by origin, obviously, the deity of the Otomi tribe. He was depicted as a seated coyote or in an anthropomorphic form with musical instruments in his hands. He was the patron saint of troublemakers and those who spread rumors.
Chikomecoatl (Chicomecoatl) - "7 snakes", the goddess of maize in the classical period of the life of the Aztecs. Sometimes called the "goddess of food", the goddess of abundance, she was the female aspect of corn. Every September, a young girl representing Chicomecoatl was sacrificed. The priests beheaded her, collected her blood and poured it over the statue of the goddess. Next, the skin was removed from the corpse, which the priest put on. They portrayed (described) her in different ways: a girl with water flowers; a woman whose embrace meant death; and a mother who carries the sun with her as a shield. She is the counterpart of the maize god Sinteotl, their symbol is an ear made of corn. Sometimes she is called Shilonen.

Religion occupied a huge place in the Aztec society. The Aztecs had a whole pantheon of gods, each of which controlled a certain area of ​​people's lives. But most of them were united by bloodlust. In our review of 15 facts about the most significant representatives of the Aztec divine pantheon

1. Number of gods

There were over a hundred gods in the Aztec pantheon. Some gods also had several names, and depending on the name used, the essence of the mentioned god itself also changed. Aztec gods sometimes illuminated the most incredible manifestations of the universe and civilization.

2. Duplicity

Many Aztec gods were two-faced. Two-faced, as a rule, denoted a tendency to good and evil. The character of such deities could change depending on the situation. It is also curious that a separate god, Ometeotl, commanded duplicity.

3. Gender “discrimination”

In the mythology of the Aztecs, there are both male gods and female gods (in any case, exactly as much as the concept of sex can be applied to a deity). However, men accounted for two-thirds of the pantheon, while women occupied only a third.

4. Bloodlust

The Aztecs, as the creators of one of the most recognizable civilizations on earth, had a very bloodthirsty pantheon. Many religious rituals required human sacrifice. Sacrifices to the gods were performed by priests in the pyramids of the sun and moon.

5. Xipe-Totec

The god of agriculture, for the time of the year, of jewelry Shipe-Totek, according to belief, sent illness and bad weather to people. He was one of the most "bloodthirsty". During the sacrifices in his honor, the priests performed a ritual dance dressed in the skin taken from the victims.

6. Tlaloc - god-jug

The god of rain and agriculture Tlaloc was considered one of the most trustworthy. Sometimes he was depicted as a jug. It was believed that he sends hail, frost, floods, as well as gout and rheumatism. Curiously, those drowned or those who died of gout ended up in the paradise of Tlaloc.

7. Camashtli

God Camashtli commanded war and fire. He was just as badass and destructive as his European pagan counterparts. It is curious that Camashtli was revered as one of the creators of the world. He also took warriors who fell in battle to heaven, where they became stars.

8 The God Huitzilopochtli And The Severed Head

The god Huitzilopochtli also commanded war. According to legend, while still in the womb of his mother, he found out that his sister wanted him dead. Then Huitzilopochtli jumped out of the womb in military attire, cut off his sister's head and slaughtered 400 of his brothers. After that, he threw the remains of his relatives into the sky. The sister's head became the moon, and the dead brothers became stars.

9 Aztec Prophecy On A Modern Flag

The flag of Mexico is an image of the prophecy of the god Huitzilopochtli, who commanded people who were looking for land to inhabit to find an eagle sitting on a rocky place on top of a nopal cactus and devouring a snake. This is what is depicted on the flag.

10. Homeless God

Ometekutli - was the only god of the Aztec pantheon to whom temples were not dedicated. This god commanded life itself, and therefore, according to the beliefs of the Aztecs, he was everywhere and did not need a “point of connection”.

11. Trade union prostitutes

Goddess Shochiketsal commanded flowers, artists, love and protected women of the most ancient profession.

12. Puppet God

The Aztecs believed that people on Earth were created and destroyed higher power three times in a row. God Quetzalcoatl - was the one who created people for the fourth, last time (at the moment) from their own bones.

The Aztecs also had their own Adam and Eve - Okhomoko and Sipaktonal. They had a son named Piltsintekahtli, who married Xochiquetzal. Ohomoko was also the Aztec goddess of astrology, the night, and the calendar.

14. Supreme God

Each Aztec god was responsible for a specific area. human life. But there was also a higher deity - the god of fire Haehaeteotli. During the holidays in his honor, all wars were stopped. As a sacrifice to people who were decided to be sacrificed, hearts were cut out and burned on coals. The Aztecs believed that in this way they could return the favor of God.

15. Cycle of life

Unlike most other religions, the Aztecs believed that their gods were mortal. The problem of the mortality of the gods in the beliefs of the Aztecs, however, boiled down to the fact that, despite the finiteness of being, they were repeatedly reborn.

The world is full of mysteries. In Laos, for example, there is. The age of the jars scattered across the valley is estimated to be between 1500 and 2000 years.