Aztec Mythology
According to the Aztec mythology there were over 100 gods and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs. They recognized a polytheistic mythology. The Aztecs were people who dominated the central and southern part of Mexico from the 14th century to the 16th century. The Aztec name came from a mythical homeland to the north called Aztlain. The Aztecs also called themselves the Mexica.
It was said that the Aztecs were guided by the god Huitzilopochtli. This name meant Left Handed Hummingbird or Hummingbird from the South. When they got to an island in the lake, they saw an eagle perched on a nopal cactus full of fruit (or nochtli as they called them). In the original story, there was nothing said about the eagle eating a snake but in future versions of the story, the Eagle was eating a snake. Another story says the eagle was eating a bird. Another story just says it was eating something. This vision fulfilled a prophesy which told them that they should build their new homes on that spot. They built the city of Tenochtitlan there. They built an artificial island which is the center of Mexico City today. This vision is pictured on the Coat of Arms of Mexico. As the story went, when the Aztecs got to the Anahuac Valley around Lake Texcoco, they were considered to be the least civilized by the other groups. The Aztec decided to learn and they learned everything they could from the other groups. One of the groups was the ancient Toltecs and they especially learned a lot from them. The Aztecs believed the Toltecs were originators of all culture. The Aztec legends name both the Toltecs as well as the ancient Toetihuacan in their stories.
The Aztecs believed there were four ages which preceded their present world. They also believed that each of those worlds ended in disaster. They felt that their age escaped destruction because of their sacrifice of their god named Nanahautlm, who was the smallest and humblest of all of their gods. This god was transformed into the sun. The myth was connected to the city of Teotihaucan which was abandoned and destroyed before the Aztec arrived. Another myth says the earth was created by the twin gods, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. The story states that Tezcatlipoca lost his foot while in the process of creating the world. When this god is shown in pictures or other artwork, he is seen without a foot and the bone is exposed.
The Aztecs had many Gods and they were categorized as their main gods, Serpent Gods, God Groups, Legendary Heroes, and more. Different places mentioned in the myths are Aztlan (land of the Herons), Iztaccihautl, Mictlan (the Underworld), Popocatepet, Tlalocan (first paradise), Tehuantepec (place of the hill of the sacred jaguar), Tlillan - Tlapallan (middle realm of the heaven (middle Paradise)), Tonatiuhichan (highest paradise), and Tamoanchan
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