Mictlantecuhtli god

Mictlantecuhtli is the god of death in ancient Aztec religion and was also one of the rulers of the Aztec mictlantecuhtli god, Mictlan. The interaction between life and death in Aztec religion is circular.

Mictlantecuhtli was 6 feet tall, and was depicted as a blood-spattered skeleton or a person wearing a toothy skull. Although his head was typically a skull, his eye sockets did contain eyeballs. His headdress was shown decorated with owl feathers and paper banners, and he wore a necklace of human eyeballs, while his earspools were made from human bones. He was one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and was the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld. The worship of Mictlantecuhtli sometimes involved ritual cannibalism, with human flesh being consumed in and around the temple.

Mictlantecuhtli god

He is one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and is the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld. The worship of Mictlantecuhtli sometimes involved ritual cannibalism , with human flesh being consumed in and around the temple. Two life-size clay statues of Mictlantecuhtli were found marking the entrances to the House of Eagles to the north of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Mictlantecuhtli was considered 6 feet 1. He was not the only Aztec god to be depicted in this fashion, as numerous other deities had skulls for heads or else wore clothing or decorations that incorporated bones and skulls. In the Aztec world, skeletal imagery was a symbol of fertility, health and abundance, alluding to the close symbolic links between life and death. His wife was Mictecacihuatl , [5] and together they were said to dwell in a windowless house in Mictlan. Mictlantecuhtli was associated with spiders , [7] owls , [7] bats , [7] the 11th hour, and the northern compass direction, known as Mictlampa, the region of death. Mictlantecuhtli and his wife were the opposites and complements of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl , the givers of life. Mictlantecuhtli was the god of the day sign Itzcuintli dog , [5] one of the 20 such signs recognised in the Aztec calendar , and was regarded as supplying the souls of those who were born on that day. He was seen as the source of souls for those born on the sixth day of the day week and was the fifth of the nine Night Gods of the Aztecs. He was also the secondary Week God for the 10th week of the week cycle of the calendar , joining the sun god Tonatiuh to symbolise the dichotomy of light and darkness.

Some believe he lived in the most northern realm, while others believe the Aztec god switched between the nine hells.

After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. Mictlantecuhtli was the Aztec god of death who ruled over Mictlan , the land of the dead. Like Hades , the Greek underworld, Mictlan was where most people would spend their afterlife, regardless of moral standing. Mictlantecutli left stands next to Quetzalcoatl in this page from the Codex Borgia. Together, the two deities represent the binary of life and death.

Mictlantecuhtli is the Aztec god of death in Aztec mythology. Along with his wife Mictecacihuatl, he ruled Mictlan, the Aztec underworld. He is also called Lord of the Land of the Dead and is associated with spiders, owls, bats, and the north or south direction. Mictlantecuhtli is similar to Hades or Lucifer as the lord of the land of the dead. He would watch over the souls that would come to Mictlan.

Mictlantecuhtli god

Mythology Origin, Worship, and Connection to the Underworld. Mictlantecuhtli was the Aztec god of death and the principle god of the underworld. Throughout Mesoamerican culture, they practiced human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism to placate this god. The worship of Miclantecuhtli was ongoing with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas.

Stardew valley winter star stardrop

Mictlantecuhtli, now very angry, orders his followers to create a very deep pit. Although it did work, Quetzalcoatl managed to escape with the bones. Article Talk. The interaction between life and death in Aztec religion is circular. The Aztec calendar consists of 18 months, each of 20 days, with an extra five days in the end, which are deemed the most unlucky of all. Aztec Mythology Guide. After four years, the deceased would reach Mictlan Opochcalocan, the lowest level of the Aztec underworld. Subscribe to our newsletter. He was one of only a few deities held to govern over all three types of souls identified by the Aztecs, who distinguished between the souls of people who died normal deaths of old age, disease, etc. Cambridge University Press.

As a god of death , Mictlantecuhtli ruled over the Aztec version of Hell and was typically portrayed either with a skull for a head or as an entire skeleton.

Here, two life-size clay statues were uncovered, guarding one of the entrances. He was one of only a few deities held to govern over all three types of souls identified by the Aztecs, who distinguished between the souls of people who died normal deaths of old age, disease, etc. Shortly after performing these tasks, Quetzalcoatl told Mictlantecuhtli that he had changed his mind and was going to leave Mictlan without the bones. Created by the Tezcatlipocas [1] Codex Zumarraga. The month that was dedicated to Mictlantecuhtli was the 17th of these 18 months, called Tititl. The first references to Mictlantecuhtli appear early on, way before the Aztec empire. Although his head was typically a skull, his eye sockets did contain eyeballs. Mictlantecuhtli was associated with spiders , [7] owls , [7] bats , [7] the 11th hour, and the northern compass direction, known as Mictlampa, the region of death. According to the Codex Ramirez :. The last time that happened, a quail of all things scared him into a pit. Cambridge University Press.