Who was Mictlantecuhtli?

Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec god of the dead, usually portrayed with a skull face. With his wife, Mictecacíhuatl, he ruled Mictlan, the underworld.

What did Mictlantecuhtli represent?

listen)) or Mictlantecuhtli (Nahuatl pronunciation: [mik. t͡ɬaːn. ˈteːkʷ. t͡ɬi], meaning “Lord of Mictlan”), in Aztec mythology, is a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan (Chicunauhmictlan), the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld.

How did Mictlantecuhtli become a god?

Like several other early Aztec gods, Mictlantecuhtli was not born to another god, but was instead created by Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, and Huitzilopochtli during their construction of the universe.

What is the Aztec name for the goddess of death?

In the mythology of the Aztec people, the ancient culture of central Mexico, Mictecacihuatl was literally named “lady of the dead.” Along with her husband, Miclantecuhtl, the goddess ruled over the land of Mictlan, the lowest level of the underworld where the dead live.

Why was mictlantecuhtli worshiped?

Mictlantecuhtli was such an important god in the Aztec pantheon because, as ruler of Mictlán, all souls would one day meet him face to face, for it was believed that only those who suffered a violent death, women who died in childbirth or people killed by storms or floods avoided the underworld in the afterlife.

What does Itzcuintli mean?

Itzcuintli, meaning ‘dog’, is the day in the Aztec calendar associated with the god Mictlantecuhtli. Mictlantecuhtli is the god of death and ruler over the lowest underworld, associated with funerals, wakes and remembrance.

How did the Aztecs view death who was considered a hero?

The Aztecs believed heroes had “fire-like souls” and wrapped their bodies in cloth decorated with birds and butterflies to symbolize the essence of their soul. It was also believed that when a warrior died, his death honored the sun god and the departing warrior soul would find its way to Tlaloc via the sun’s rays.

Why did the Aztecs worship mictlantecuhtli?

What killed the Aztecs?

Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children.

Who is the god of death in Roman mythology?

Mors also known as Letus was a Roman deity and the personification of death. Her name literally means “death.” Thanatos was its Greek counterpart. She was the twin sister of Somnus – god and personification of sleep. Nyks was their mother – the personification of the night.

Who is Quetzalcoatl?

Quetzalcóatl, Mayan name Kukulcán, (from Nahuatl quetzalli, “tail feather of the quetzal bird [Pharomachrus mocinno],” and coatl, “snake”), the Feathered Serpent, one of the major deities of the ancient Mexican pantheon.

Who was the Aztec god of the dead?

One of the oldest gods in the Aztec pantheon, Mictlantecuhtli was the god of death and, much like the Greek Hades, ruler over the land of the dead. Mictlantecuhtli was the Aztec god of death who ruled over Mictlan, the land of the dead.

Who was the wife of the Aztec god Mictlantecuhtl?

Mictlantecuhtli’s wife, Mictecacihuatl, was created at the same time as her husband, and the couple ruled over the underworld together. Such an arrangement was not usual; Aztec mythology frequently featured binary gods (usually in male-female pairs) who would share power over their respective domains of influence.

Why was Mictlantecuhtli important to the Aztecs?

He was also the fifth of the nine night gods of the Aztecs. Further, Mictlantecuhtli was the secondary week god for the tenth week of the 20-week cycle of the Aztec calendar. On the calendar, he joined the sun god Tonatiuh to symbolise the contrast between light and darkness.

Who are the gods of Mictlan and Hun?

Mictlantecuhtli is the name of a black – thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Mictlantecuhtli appears as the combined warrior form of the gods of Mictlān, Mic and Hun, in Victor and Valentino. ^ Cecilio A. Robelo (1905).