Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli - "Hummingbird of the South" / "Left-Handed Hummingbird"
The patron god of the Mexica people, Huitzilopochtli was the solar deity of war and sacrifice who guided his people from their legendary homeland of Aztlan to found the great city of Tenochtitlan. His daily battle against darkness required the nourishment of human hearts and blood, making him the driving force behind Aztec expansionism and ritual sacrifice.
Names and Meanings
Attributes and Domains
Creation Mythology
The Miraculous Birth
Huitzilopochtli's birth is one of the most dramatic in Aztec mythology. His mother, the earth goddess Coatlicue ("Serpent Skirt"), was sweeping at Coatepec Hill when a ball of hummingbird feathers fell from the sky. She placed the feathers in her bosom and became pregnant.
Her four hundred sons (the Centzon Huitznahua, representing the stars) and her daughter Coyolxauhqui (the moon goddess) were outraged by this miraculous conception and conspired to kill their mother to restore family honor.
The Battle at Coatepec
As the stars and moon approached to murder Coatlicue, Huitzilopochtli burst forth from his mother's womb fully grown and armed with the Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent. In a furious battle, he slew his four hundred brothers and decapitated his sister Coyolxauhqui, casting her dismembered body down the slopes of Coatepec Hill.
This myth was reenacted at the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan, where sacrificial victims were thrown down the temple steps to land at a great stone disk carved with Coyolxauhqui's dismembered image. The battle represents the daily victory of the sun over the moon and stars at dawn.
The Migration from Aztlan
According to Aztec legend, Huitzilopochtli commanded the Mexica people to leave their island homeland of Aztlan and journey south to find their promised land. He spoke to them through his idol, carried by priests called teomama ("god-bearers").
The migration lasted approximately 200 years, during which Huitzilopochtli gave the Mexica their name and guided them through trials and conflicts. He promised them an empire and told them to seek an eagle perched on a cactus, devouring a serpent - the image now on Mexico's flag and coat of arms.
When they finally arrived at Lake Texcoco in 1325 CE and saw the prophesied sign on an island, they founded Mexico-Tenochtitlan, which would become the heart of the Aztec Empire.
Sacrifice and Rituals
Huitzilopochtli's cult demanded constant human sacrifice to ensure the sun would rise each day. The Aztecs believed he was locked in eternal battle against darkness and required the chalchihuatl ("precious water" - blood) and human hearts to continue his fight.
The Templo Mayor
The great twin pyramid in Tenochtitlan's sacred precinct was dedicated jointly to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. Huitzilopochtli's shrine stood on the south side, painted red with blood, while Tlaloc's blue shrine faced north. This dual temple represented the two pillars of Aztec power: war (providing captives for sacrifice) and agriculture (requiring rain for crops).
Forms of Worship
- Heart Sacrifice: Captive warriors had their hearts cut out with obsidian knives
- Blood Offerings: Priests performed auto-sacrifice, piercing their tongues and ears
- Flower Wars: Ritualized battles (Xochiyaoyotl) to capture enemies alive
- Panquetzaliztli: The great festival in his honor during the fifteenth month
Iconography and Symbols
Modern Significance
Huitzilopochtli embodies the martial and imperial aspects of Aztec civilization. His cult drove the expansion of the empire as the need for sacrificial victims justified constant warfare. The image of the eagle on the cactus - his prophetic sign - remains Mexico's national symbol, connecting the modern nation to its Aztec past.
In contemporary discussions, Huitzilopochtli raises complex questions about religion, imperialism, and sacrifice. Modern Mexicanist movements sometimes invoke him as a symbol of indigenous power and resistance, while scholars debate the scale and meaning of Aztec human sacrifice. His mythology continues to fascinate as an example of how religion, warfare, and state power can intertwine.
Related Across the Mythos
Huitzilopochtli embodies the War God archetype - divine patron of warriors and the violent expansion of empire.
See parallels: Ares, Mars, Thor, Indra >As the solar deity fighting daily against darkness, he represents the eternal struggle of light against chaos.
See parallels: Ra, Apollo, Helios, Surya >Coatlicue
Aztec Deity
His mother, the earth goddess