por the pantheon of Teotihuacan gods (like Tláloc, Quetzalcóatl and Xipe Tótec) formed the spiritual basis of the cosmogony of the ancient Mexican peoples. Teotihuacán was one of the most important pre-Columbian cities, so the deities of this area had great significance.
Although the origin of the city is still uncertain, according to archaeologists, a village had already been established in the 2nd century AD, which began to gain importance as a place of worship, in the Basin of Mexico. From that time is the construction of the Pyramid of the Moon. Its greatest heyday occurred between 200 and 650, when it became an important commercial and political center.
Teotihuacán is a Nahuatl name that means “place of the gods”. This is what the Aztecs called this city.
Religious elements of Teotihuacan culture
rituals and calendars
The celebration ceremonies were adjusted to the solstices, eclipses and equinoxes. These were the astronomical events with which the building of pyramids and temples was associated, as the gods governed these events.
Human sacrifices
These practices expressed the commitment and devotion to their gods when raising a pyramid. They were also made to protect and guarantee abundance in the city.
Enemy warriors and traitors were buried alive, bled to death, decapitated, or had their hearts removed.
Architecture
Some of these constructions are described below, whose structures expressed the deep religious feeling that they professed to their gods:
pyramid of the sun
It is a five-level construction based on a sacred tunnel, on top of which there was a small temple. Inside the pyramid there is a 100-meter passageway that leads to a burial chamber. It was built around 150 AD
Pyramid of the Moon
It was built after that of the Sun and has a similar structure, although it does not have internal chambers. At the base you can find offerings to the gods, animal sculptures in green rock and also obsidian rocks.
It is probable that these constructions were the resting place for human sacrifices. Remains of slaughtered animals have also been found there.
Temple of Quetzalcoatl
It is a monumental structure decorated with sculptures of the god of water (Tlaloc) and the feathered serpent.
There rest men and women sacrificed as a celebration for the completion of the work. You can also find religious objects and obsidian knives inside.
The main Teotihuacan gods
Quetzalcoatl
Also known as the Feathered Serpent, he is the main god and represents human duality. The physical body and the soul are represented in the snake and in the feathers, respectively.
In these characteristics the strength of the earth and the sky are also represented. His main attribute was the power of transformation. The head surrounded by snakes that emerges from above among the feathers gave it the name of Feathered Serpent.
tlaloc
He is one of the most feared and respected gods by the Mesoamerican peoples. He was the god of rain, on whom the water cycles necessary for their crops to grow depended.
Tlaloc was also attributed the power of lightning. The territory conferred on this god was Tlalocán, a mythological place that according to the Teotihuacanos was located towards the east of the universe.
Tlaloc is represented with blinders and a forked tongue, like that of a serpent. It also has snails and shells, which represent its fertile nature. He is a dual god: his other face is represented by the goddess of lakes and streams.
Chalchiuhtlicue
It is the other face of Tlaloc. This goddess is associated with fertility and is depicted wearing large earmuffs, a poncho, and a jade skirt with geometric patterns. Her body is robust and she wears sandals.
This deity is dressed in the Teotihuacan fashion, with ornaments on the head. She is symbolized in the imposing sculpture that is very close to the pyramid of the Moon, and that was later transferred to the National Museum, located on Moneda street, in Mexico City.
Huehueteotl
He is the god of fire and is represented as a toothless, wrinkled, bearded and hunchbacked old man. Archaeological findings place him as one of the oldest gods.
After the city of Cuicuilco was destroyed by a volcanic eruption, figures were found that present the god seated with coals on his back. The god Huehuetéotl was associated with the solar calendar. The representation of the deity on embers suggests the fury of the Xitle volcano, which destroyed Cuicuilco.
This god represents the memory of the volcano. The brazier that precedes it is used to place incense or aromatic resins (copal), in order to set them on fire. Above her head is a diamond shape and her hands rest on her legs, one with a clenched fist and the other with the palm facing the sky.
Great goddess of Teotihuacán, or Spider Woman
She was revered as the goddess of darkness and the underworld. She was represented with a headdress with the face of a green bird, similar to a quetzal. She is surrounded by spiders and its body is yellowish. In addition, he wears a main and very characteristic piece that goes through his nose: an elongated bar with three circles.
Just below this bar hang three to five «tusks»: the outermost ones curve toward the middle and the one in the center points downward.
From his head emerges a vegetal form similar to the world tree, and from the drops of water on its branches sprout a number of butterflies and spiders. These drops roll down the hands of the goddess.
Xipe Totec
He was the god of crops, disease and goldsmithing. He was considered influential in all aspects of life, death, and resurrection.
Xipe Tótec was a symbol of renewal and detachment, and his actions were focused on regenerating the spirit of the human being.
fat god
According to the archaeological and anthropological investigations carried out, this divinity was also the representation of life and death.
His appearance was that of a balanced and elegant man. His face was plump-cheeked and serene, with half-closed eyelids and sharp, pronounced cheekbones. Some researchers indicate that this deity was mainly related to death and that it had a funerary function.
god of pulque
An alcoholic drink called pulque was used in Teotihuacan religious rituals, and one of its most common representations was that of a rabbit.
According to the Teotihuacan worldview, there was a group of sacred rabbits that met in ceremonies. Some of these responded to the names of Macuiltochtli, Texcatzonatl, Tepoztécatl, Colhuatzincatl and Ometochtli.
flayed god
This god is compared to Xipe Tótec. He is represented with a bloody knife and covered in human skin, as well as with small heads whose eyes are pierced.
He is considered the god of the seasons, vegetation and disease. He is also associated with the eastern direction of the Universe, the place where the Sun is born. From there comes the predominance of red in his representations.
The conception of this god was very peculiar: his relationship with agriculture stems from the fact that he himself flayed himself to provide food for humans. This action is symbolically compared to the loss of the outer skin that maize undergoes before germinating.
yacatecuhtli
He was the god of business travelers and merchants, and was represented with a bundle of sticks. The merchants tied their products and sprinkled them with blood from their ears to offer to this god.
This action was to guarantee success in business and also protected them from beasts and thieves on the road during their travels.
God of Death
Other sculptures found were associated with death and the underworld. One of these in particular is a red sculpture in the shape of a circle, carved on both sides and with a skull in the middle seen from the front. It also had several folds around it.
This representation was found in front of the pyramid of the Sun, located towards the west side. It is believed that the shape of this sculpture refers to the route of the fleshless Sun to Xibalbá, also known as the world of the dead.
nanahuatzin
Nanahuatzin was the god of humility. He sacrificed himself at the Teotezcalli bonfire, during the «assembly of Teotihuacán» and became the Fifth Sun, according to the Teotihuacan creation myths.
References
Teotihuacan gods. Recovered from queaprendemoshoy.com.
Teotihuacan. Retrieved from es.wikipedia.org.