The religious system of the Aztecs is mostly related toMayan CultureSimilar, but relatively complex as a whole.One reason is that Aztec is a belligerent country. Whenever it annexed a country, it would incorporate its "gods" into its original religious system.
In the temple of Aztec, the god of chaosTescatelipoca(Tezcatlipoca) is the supreme existence. His shapes are diverse and rich, and he is a god who can bring happiness and disaster at the same time.Other gods of civilizationQuezal Koatl(Quetzalcohu tl), the Aztec patron deity Huitzilopochtli, the rain god Tlaloc, etc., are all the objects that Aztecs believe in everyday.
For the Aztecs, the "sun" is the most important existence.They believe that the world has been created and destroyed four times.Each creation will produce a new sun, illuminating the whole world.Therefore, Aztecs believe that the world in the 21st century is the "fifth solar world".In order to let the sun continue to shine on mankind, they had the custom of regularly sacrificing human blood and heart to the sun.
In order to continuously supplement the sacrifice of the living sacrifice, the Aztecs must constantly fight to obtain prisoners as part of the sacrificeSupplies。For this reason, wars often occur between cities, known as“Garland Wars ”（Garland Wars）。Once they have obtained the number of prisoners they need, they will begin to conclude an armistice agreement.
As a result, this custom aroused the disgust of the surrounding tribes, and Aztec began to decline without access to resources.These anti Aztec countries later joined the Spanish and captured the Aztec capital in 1519Tenochtitlan。Since then, the largestCentral AmericaThe empire perished.[1]
arrival
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Mexico National Emblem
According to the legend, the ancestors of the Aztecs came from the northAztlandThey came fromHeliosThe instruction of Huitzilopochtli came south to Anahuac valleyLake Teskoko；When they came to the island in the middle of the lake, they saw an old man with a snake in his moutheagleStop atcactusThis means that God told them that they should build cities here.In 1325, the Aztecs establishedTenochtitlan, a hugeArtificial island, stillmexico cityCenter of.[2]
Opochtli: god of fishing and birdcatchers,HarpoonThe discoverer of Hewang
Vulcan
Xiuhtecuhtli: God of Fire and Time
Chantico: Fire chamber and volcano goddess.（goddess of firebox and volcanoes）
Shulotel(Xolotl): The god of death and thunder, escorting the sun to run at night.Venus as the Evening Star/He is the dark personality of Venus,the evening star），It is related to the sky fire.Quezal KoatlOur twin gods.
death
Mictlantecuhtli: god of death, ruler of the underworld
Mictecacihuatl: goddess of death, ruler of the underworld
Shulotel(Xolotl): The god of death and thunder, escorting the sun to run at night.Venus as the Evening Star/He is the dark personality of Venus,the evening star），It is related to the sky fire.Feather snake godThe twin gods of
Sky god
Tezcatlipoca: god of heaven, darkness and the invisible, the lord of night.Rulers of the North
Xipe Totec (Xipe Totec): Lord of skinning, God of power.Rulers of the East
Quezal Koatl(Quetzalcoatl): the God of life, the God of light and wisdom, and the Lord of wind and heaven.Western rulers
Wizillo Pochitli/Wizilopoccitri(Huitzilopochtli): God of War, Lord of the sun and fire.Rulers of the South
Shulotel(Xolotl): god of death, god of thunder and lightning.Escort the sun to run at night.Venus as the Evening Star/He is the dark personality of Venus,the evening star），It is related to the sky fire.The twin god of the feather snake god
Ehecatl: Wind god, one of the faces of the feather snake god, ruler of the Second Solar Period.
Traylock(Tlaloc): god of water, god of thunder and god of lightning, god of fertility
Coyolxauhqui: the moon goddess, the goddess ruling the stars (centzonhuitznahua), the elder sister of Vicilo Bochitli.
Meztli: Goddess of the Moon
Tonatiuh: sun god
Centzonmimixcoa: 400 NorthHoshigami（400 gods of the northern stars）
Coatlicue: Goddess of Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth
Chimalma: Goddess of Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth
Xochitlichu: Goddess of Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth
Itzpapalotl: obsidian butterfly goddess, leader of the eclipse god tzitzimitl.The patron saint of pregnant women and children, in some versions, is the ruler of Tamoan.[3]
There is a legend among the Aztecs: "The night, the sun, has not yet risen, and the gods come here calledTeotihuakanThe place.This temporary heaven will guide the fate of mankind.In the end, the gods lit a raging fireflameDisappeared into the endless sky "[4]
The gods flew to the universe, but left Teotihuakan to the world.However, despite Aztec myths, Teotihuakan was not built by Aztecs.When the Aztecs found Teotihuakan, it was already a piece ofruins。The Aztecs were shocked by the magnificent city and thought that it was the tomb of ancient gods in mythology, so they named it "the capital of gods" - Teotihuakan.[4]
Teotihuakan is mainly composed of several parts:The Pyramid of the sun、Pyramid of moon、Quetzalcoatl Temple and theUndead Avenue。However, except for the Feather Snake Temple.The most brilliant main building, the Sun Pyramid, and its corresponding Moon Pyramid, as well as the names and legends of the sun and moon gods enshrined in them, have become a mystery with the disappearance of their civilization.In later Aztec mythology, the gods corresponding to these two temples wereHeliosTonatiuh, with the moon god Tekuhist Cartel.stayMexicoOn the earth, these two temples are still crowned withThe Pyramid of the sunAndPyramid of moonIts name tells people about the traces of ancient civilization on this land.
Cosmology
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The Aztec universe system has three layers.Above the ground is the place where thirteen layers of gods live, and the creation god Ometeotl lives on the top.The middle is the human world;The lower floor is the underground Miktland, with nine floors in total.But although it seems that the world is in an orderly system, the Aztecs still believe that human life in the world is in danger every day.
Third floor: star skirtgoddessThe Heaven of the Star Skilled Goddess
The Heaven of the Rain God and the Moon
The surface of the earth
Nine Hell：[6]
The dead had to go through a long and arduous journey to reach Michtland.The soul needs to go through nine checkpoints to reach the underworld, and it takes four years to travel.
The soul must:
1. Cross a deep river called Appanova.
2. Go through two linked mountains - Tepater Monactiya.
3. Turn over a building called IztepeterObsidianMountain (Daoshan).
4. Passing through eight valleys and eight valleys with piercing cold wind.
5. The arrow shooting called Temi Minaloyan.
6. Walk through the heart eating beasts.
7. Enter a place where the flag is flyinglizardWhere we met.
8. Cross nine rivers called Chikonavapan.
9. Finally arrive at the resting place - Hell Michtland.
Other versions are:[5]
1. The surface of the earth
2. The Water Crossing
3. Where Mountains Clash
4. Knife Mountain
5. Where the obsidian wind is rampant（ObsidianWind）
6. Where Banners Are Flourished
7. Where One Is Shot with Arrows
8. Where Hearts Are Eaten
9. The Place of the Dead
The above versions may be different expressions of the same content
Ownership after death
In AztecReligious mythologyMost of the dead people will go to Hell Michtland.They will wander in the hell. After four years of wandering, they will enter the bottom of the hell and go to the god of deathMichtrandi Kutri(Mictlantecuhtli) Only by offering tribute can he become a ghost.
However, there are also the following exceptions:
People killed in battle:As a soldier of God, those who die in battle will go to heaven
Sacrificers:Soldiers captured in the war, or those directly selected as sacrifices, will ascend to the heaven corresponding to their gods after being offered to them.If what is offered isWizilopoccitriThen they will become the attendants of Wizillo Pochetry, and gather on the plain every morning to welcome the arrival of the sun god with delicious food.After doing such work for four years, they will get higher gifts.They will be reborn as birds andbutterfly, return to the world.Drink nectar every day and fly freely.
Women who died in childbirth:They will enter the Western Paradise and accompany the sun from the highest point at noon to the lowest point at dusk.[10]
Dead in production or still in productionlactationBabies: They will return to Tamoan, the highest heaven in the thirteenth heaven, where the gods created human beings.In this legend, Tamoan was ruled by Itzpapalotl, the patron saint of pregnant women and children.[10]
Drowning, lightning stroke, or death due to water sickness:They will ascend to the south of heaven, where the water godTraylockhave jurisdiction over.[4]
creationism
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All five sunsCreation Myth It all started when "the world doesn't exist".In Aztec mythology, everything began in the nihility before the birth of the world, and only one god was born before everything.
This god is called Ometeotl, and his name isNavartelIn Chinese, it means "double gods" or "double kings".He is both male and female, both heaven and earth, both light and dark, both fire and water, both order and chaos.In a word, he is an opposite and unified individual. He has both male side Ometecuhtli and female side Ometihuatl.(In some versions, the male and female faces are called Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl)
The seniority order of the four sons is: Xipei Tottek, Tescatelipoca, Quezal Koyatl, and Vicilo Pochitli (the above age order is generally recognized, and the seniority order in some myths may be different)
Five solar periods
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After the birth of Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcohu tl and Huitzilopochtli, they began to create everything in the world.But whenever they tried to create something, it would fall into the water under their feet and be swallowed by Cipactli.So Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcohu tl began to fight against this oneWater monsterIn the end, Tezcatlipoca paid a foot and joined hands with Quetzalcohu tl to kill it.And created the world with its body.
First Solar Period
The first one to become the sun is TescatelipocaSolar periodIt's Teskat Lipoka
It has existed for 676 years.Residents are giants who live on acorns.
But I don't know it's because he lost itLeg Or because he is the god of night.He can only become half a sun.
And he became the sun, which made the Serpent God very dissatisfied. He finally smashed his brother into the sea with a stone hammer.Without the sun, the world would be dark, and the angry Tescatelipoca would becomejaguarAnd devour all his people.
This solar period is called "Jaguar"an era”, also known as "four leopards".
Second solar period
After the destruction of the first solar periodQuezal KoatlBecame the second sun.
It has existed for 364 years.After that, all the residents are human beings. They eatpine nutSurvival.
But as his reign grew longer, the inhabitants of this world began to forget their respect for God.
So Teska began to satirize the Serpent God.The two started a war, and finally, the hurricane formed by the two fought destroyed the world.
Everything was destroyed, and only a few residents survived, but they were all turned into monkeys by Tescatelipoca.
This solar period is called the "strong wind era", also known as the "four winds".
It has existed for 312 years.Residents live on lotus seeds.
While Tskate Lipoka seduced his wife, Xochiquetzal (Feather Flower), the sad Tralock did not want to do anything for a long time.This led to a long drought. People kept praying for rain. Tired of it, Tralock finally fellFire rain, (It is also said that it was the fire rain from Tescatelipoca) The era was destroyed.Its inhabitants were transformed into birds.
This era is called "Rainstorm Era", also known as "Four Rains".
Fourth solar period
The fourth solar period was created by Tralock's new wife (first sister)Charlchutrequeux(Chalchiuhtliue, emerald skirt) rule.
It has existed for 676 years.Residents eat another kind of wild foodaquatic plant。
She is a kind and kind-hearted ruler, but Tescatelipoca attacked her, saying that she was just a hypocrite, just to get people's praise.Charlchutrequieu was finally overwhelmed by his words. She cried all day long. The world rained heavily and the flood destroyed everything.(It is also said that it was Tescatelipoca who stole the sun and caused Chalchutri Qui to cry all day long.) The inhabitants of this world finally became fish.
This era is called "flood era".Also called "Four Rivers".
Fifth solar period
After the destruction of the first four solar periods, the gods finally decided to unite to create the fifth solar period.
Create the world
After the destruction of the first four solar periods, the Smog Mirror and the Serpent God finally joined hands again.
The two of them turned into snakes, and together they caught the giant monster swimming in the world's oceans (one said that it was not a water monster but a giant of the world), Tlaltecuhtli
Divide his body into two parts: one is heaven, the other is earth.Later, the gods made its body grow out of mountains, caves, plants and flowers, creating a world of life.[7]
In another statement, the four sons of Ometioto, namely Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcohu tl and Huitzilopochtli, became big trees to support the sky in the flood destroyed in the fourth solar period, creatingFifth solar periodThe world of.[8]
Creating man
After the creation of the world in the Fifth Solar Period, the gods began to makeresident。
The myth of creating human beings in the fifth solar period is closely related to the feather snake god.
After the destruction of the first four solar periods, the feather snake godQuezal KoatlBecause they did not accept the death of their own people (that is, the inhabitants of the Second Solar Period)ShulotelGo to Miktland (Aztec Hell) together from the god of the underworldMichtrandi Kutri(Mictlantecuhtli) Stealing bones from his people
In some versions, Quezal Coyattel was about to leave Hell when he fell down due to the calculation of Miktland Tikutri, so he only brought back bone fragments.
They willHuman ancestorsOfremainsAfter returning from hell, he immediately went to a place called Tamoan to start making human beings.So that the fifth solar period can also be inhabited by humans.
As for the way they created human beings, they soaked human bones in their own blood to revive them.One said that they put human bones into their mouths and chewed them up, wet them with their own blood, mixed them with soil and kneaded them into human shapes to create human beings.On pageTwo statementsThey will feed their babies instead of humans before sending them to the human world.[8]
After humans left Tamoan, they could never return to the paradise where they were born.[8]
Tamoan: The heaven in the Aztec mind.The tree of the world blooms and bears fruit here, overlooking the paradise.At the same time, it is also a paradise for Aztec gods to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the world and other gods to fight in an idyllic life.It is also the place where the gods in the myth created human beings.In most stories, the owner of this paradise is the goddess Xochiquetzal and the god of precious flowers.In other versions, its ruler is Itzpapalotl, the obsidian butterfly goddess.[8]
Helios
After the destruction of the four solar periods, the fifth sun was born - different versions of myths have different opinions about who the sun is.For example, inMontezumaIn the First Age, the sun was Vicilo Pochitelli/Weizilopoccitri。But according to the "official" statement on Aztec's "almanac stone", the god who became the sun is calledTonatiu(Tonatiuh), he is the fifth sun god in the heart of Aztecs.
Before the birth of the sun and moon, the godsTeotihuakanThe Teotihuacan deliberated to choose a new sun.At this time, the god of low status, Nana Huatesin, took the initiative to sacrifice himself and jumped into the raging fire together with the vain Tekuhist cartel god.Later, Nanawatesin became the powerful sun god Tonatiu, while the vain Tekuhist Cartel became the moon god and rose into the night sky.
In a certain version, after Nana Watertsin turned into the sun and rose to the sky, he claimed his life from the gods in order to revenge the fact that the gods were blinded by the vanity of the Tecusist cartel and despised him.It was proposed that only the blood and heart of all other godsHelloOnly after you give it to yourself can you start to run in the sky.(Not all, but only a dozen gods present)[8]
Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the god of the morning star, was enraged by this unreasonable request. He drew a bow and took an arrow to shoot at the sun god (said to attack the sun with arrows and spears), but the arrow was bounced back by the sun and hit the god of the morning star's own head.Later, in some versions, he was infiltrated into the world of hell.[9]
The gods finally agreed to this.And the feather snake godQuezal KoatlEhecatl, the wind god, is responsible for sacrificing the heart of the gods to him.But the faint star godShulotelNot wanting to die for the new sun, he escaped from the sacrifice;Later, because of the death of the gods, he cried out sadly.
After Tonatiu swallowed the hearts of the gods, Ehecatl, the wind god, blew him onto the orbit.But Tonatiu proposed to human beings that they should sacrifice the heart of a living person regularly to worship him, otherwise they would stop exercising.This is also aboutSacrifice to living peopleOne of the legends of origin.
As the sun god, Tonatiu also has the god of warGodhead, and Wizillo Pochitli/WizilopoccitriTescat Lipoka/TaizkatripokaBoth are gods who protect war.The ancient Aztecs also often capturedprisoner, sacrificing a living heart to this Totinau to pray for winning the war.
There are many records about the demise of the Fifth Solar Period
It is said that when the worship of human beings to Totinau stops, the sun will darken for five days, the world will be crushed by a catastrophic earthquake, and human beings will be slaughtered by Tskatripoka and Tzitzimitl.
Another theory says that the sun of the Fifth Solar Period will eventually be extinguished by Tescatelipoca, and the world will perish in the earthquake.
It is also said that this solar period will be destroyed by the super earthquake on December 22, 2012, and the residents will be devoured by monsters from the sky.
However, either way, it means that the Fifth Solar Period will be destroyed in the earthquake.
This solar period is called "Four Earthquakes".[3]
