What animal is Huitzilopochtli?
Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli, also called Xiuhpilli (“Turquoise Prince”) and Totec (“Our Lord”), Aztec sun and war god, one of the two principal deities of Aztec religion, often represented in art as either a hummingbird or an eagle.
What did Huitzilopochtli do to his sister?
He attacked his older brothers and sister, defending his mother by beheading his sister and casting her body from the mountain top. If Huitzilopochtli did not have enough strength to battle his siblings, they would destroy their mother and thus the world.
What did Huitzilopochtli wear?
Huitzilopochtli was said to wear feathers and a hummingbird helmet. He carried a shield and a weapon described as a turquoise snake. He sometimes appeared as an eagle. The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli fed on human blood and hearts.
Who is the Aztec god that created humans?
1 Aztec Genesis Tezcatlipoca, and Quetzalcoatl were sent to create life, including the first man and woman, Oxomoco and Cipactonal. These first humans bore a son, Piltzin-tecuhtli, who married a maiden created from the hairs of the maiden, Xochiquetzal.
What is the story of Huitzilopochtli?
Huitzilopochtli is considered a creator god, but not for a simple or passive creation, like you might find in other religions. This god fought with his sister, then decapitated and dismembered her. He threw her torso down to the base of the mountain and threw her head into the sky, which became the moon.
What did the Aztec game patolli symbolize?
What did the patolli board symbolize? The board symbolized the 260-day calendar, which the Aztecs shared with the Mayas and other Mesoamerican peoples.
Why is the god named Tezcatlipoca?
His name in the Nahuatl language is often translated as “Smoking Mirror” and alludes to his connection to obsidian, the material from which mirrors were made in Mesoamerica and which were used for shamanic rituals and prophecy. Another talisman related to Tezcatlipoca was a disc worn as a chest pectoral.
What was Huitzilopochtli personality?
He is also loyal and loving towards those He considers “His,” as shown by His spirited defense of His mother and the Mexica — this characteristic earned Him the title of “Protector of Men.” Often described as the “Portentous One” who’s always rushing about, He’s full of wild energy and exuberance.
Was Huitzilopochtli a man?
Huitzilopochtli, whose name means “Blue Hummingbird on the Left,” was the Aztec god of the Sun and the war. He was shown as a blue man fully armed with hummingbird feathers on his head. His mother Coatlicue became pregnant with Huitzilopochtli when a ball of feathers fell from the heaven and touched her.
Why was Huitzilopochtli important to the Aztecs?
As the creator and sun god, Huitzilopochtli was very important to the Aztecs. In fact, he was so important that he was their chief deity. He was connected with gold, war, and rulership, so the Aztecs thought it was important to keep him happy. To appease him, the Aztecs performed human sacrifices, usually of prisoners of war.
Was Huitzilopochtli a hummingbird God?
Though Huitzilopochtli was a god of war and battle, he didn’t always spend his time in forms that modern people would consider to be warlike. In fact, one of his most common forms was that of a hummingbird. When Huitzilopochtli was not a hummingbird, he would keep the hummingbird imagery.
Who is Huitzilopochtli’s mother?
Huitzilopochtli’s mother, Coatlicue, is one aspect of the Aztecs’ multidimensional earth goddess; she conceived him after having kept in her bosom a ball of hummingbird feathers (i.e., the soul of a warrior) that fell from the sky.
What does Huitzilopochtli look like?
Representations of Huitzilopochtli usually show him as a hummingbird or as a warrior with armour and helmet made of hummingbird feathers. In a pattern similar to that found in many hummingbirds, his legs, arms, and the lower part of his face were painted one colour (blue) and the upper half of his face was another (black).