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Huitzilopochtli

File:Huitzilopochtli_V.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Huitzilopochtli

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Huitzilopochtli (, ) is the solar and war deity of sacrifice in Aztec religion. He was also the patron god of the Aztecs and their capital city, Tenochtitlan. He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire.

Key facts

Deity.type
Aztec
Deity.name
Huītzilōpōchtli
Deity.image
Huitzilopochtli V.png
Deity.caption
Huitzilopochtli as depicted in the Codex Borbonicus
Deity.member_of
the Tezcatlipocas
Deity.other_names
Blue Tezcatlipoca, Omiteotl, Mextli, Mexi, Huitzitlon, Huitzilton, Tzintzuni, Huitzi
Deity.symbol
Hummingbird
Deity.children
None
Deity.gender
Male
Deity.region
Mesoamerica
Deity.ethnic_group
Aztec (Mexica)
Deity.festivals
Panquetzaliztli
Deity.deity_of
Patron God of the Mexica, God of Sun and War, Ruler of the South

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
war deity
Gender
male
Mother
Coatlicue
Image
Huitzilopochtli telleriano.jpg
Show 5 more facts
Commons category
Huitzilopochtli
worshipped by
Aztec mythology
domain of saint or deity
lightning
name in native language
Huitzilopōchtli
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~17 min read

Encyclopedic overview

14 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Origin stories
  • History
  • Sacrifice
  • The Templo Mayor
  • The Coyolxauhqui stone
  • Mythology
  • Origins of Tenochtitlan
  • Iconography
  • Calendar
  • See also
  • Citations
  • General and cited references
  • External links

Huitzilopochtli (, ) is the solar and war deity of sacrifice in Aztec religion. He was also the patron god of the Aztecs and their capital city, Tenochtitlan. He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire.

The Spaniards recorded the deity's name as Huichilobos. During their discovery and conquest of the Aztec Empire, they wrote that human sacrifice was common in worship ceremonies. These took place frequently throughout the region. When performed, typically multiple victims were sacrificed per day at any one of the numerous temples.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Huitzilopochtli” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (27)