Tlaloc
Tlaloc - "He Who Makes Things Sprout" / "Earth"
Among the oldest and most revered deities of Mesoamerica, Tlaloc was the god of rain, fertility, and water. Predating the Aztecs by millennia, his goggle-eyed visage appears in the ruins of Teotihuacan. He brought the life-giving rains that made agriculture possible, but also the devastating floods, hail, and lightning that could destroy crops and lives. His paradise, Tlalocan, awaited those who died by water or lightning.
Names and Meanings
Attributes and Domains
Creation Mythology
Lord of the Third Sun
In the Aztec creation cycle, Tlaloc presided over the Third Sun (Third World Age) called Nahui Quiahuitl ("Four Rain"). During this age, the world was destroyed by a rain of fire - some say volcanic eruptions, others a rain of burning stones from the sky. The survivors were transformed into turkeys, dogs, and butterflies.
Tlalocan - Paradise of the Rain God
Tlaloc rules over Tlalocan, one of the Aztec afterlife realms. Unlike the bleak underworld of Mictlan, Tlalocan is described as a verdant paradise of eternal spring, abundant with food, flowers, and gentle rains. Those who die by drowning, lightning strike, water-related diseases (like dropsy), or leprosy are taken directly to this paradise rather than journeying to Mictlan.
The Tlaloque - Rain Servants
Tlaloc commands the Tlaloque (also called Tepictoton), a host of smaller rain deities associated with mountains, clouds, and bodies of water. Each mountain had its own tlaloque, which stored rain in great jars. When Tlaloc commanded, they would break their jars with their lightning staffs, releasing rain. The type of rain depended on which jar was broken - some brought gentle, nourishing rain; others brought hail, frost, or floods.
Ancient Origins
Tlaloc is among the most ancient deities of Mesoamerica, his worship predating the Aztecs by over a thousand years. His distinctive goggle-eyed, fanged face appears in the murals and sculptures of Teotihuacan (circa 100 CE - 750 CE), the great city that influenced all later Mesoamerican cultures.
When the Aztecs rose to power, they inherited this ancient rain god and elevated him to supreme importance. He shared the great Templo Mayor with Huitzilopochtli - representing the two pillars of Aztec civilization: agriculture and war. While Huitzilopochtli represented the conquering Mexica nation, Tlaloc represented the ancient land itself and the agricultural cycles that fed the empire.
Sacrifice and Rituals
Tlaloc's cult required some of the most emotionally difficult sacrifices in Aztec religion. Because he controlled the waters essential for agriculture, appeasing him was crucial for survival.
Child Sacrifice
The Aztecs believed that the tears of children would call forth Tlaloc's rain. During droughts or at specific festival times, children (especially those with distinctive features like birthmarks or double cowlicks) were sacrificed to Tlaloc. They were often decorated with jade, blue flowers, and feathers before being led to mountain shrines or drowned in Lake Texcoco. The more the children cried, the more effective the sacrifice was believed to be.
The Atlcahualo Festival
The first month of the Aztec calendar was dedicated to Tlaloc and the water deities. During Atlcahualo ("Stopping of Water"), children were sacrificed at seven different locations around the Valley of Mexico, particularly at mountain shrines where clouds gathered.
Forms of Worship
- Child Sacrifice: Tears were believed to invoke rain
- Offerings: Jade, rubber balls, copal incense, blue flowers, and food
- Mountain Shrines: Temples on peaks where clouds formed naturally
- Water Rituals: Ceremonies at lakes, springs, and cenotes
Iconography and Symbols
Modern Significance
Tlaloc remains one of the most recognizable figures of pre-Columbian Mexican art. His goggle-eyed visage appears on countless ancient artifacts and continues to influence Mexican art and identity. A massive stone sculpture of Tlaloc, weighing 168 tons, was controversially moved from the town of Coatlinchan to Mexico City in 1964, where it now stands outside the National Museum of Anthropology.
Local legend claims that on the day the statue was moved, a massive rainstorm struck Mexico City despite it being the dry season - as if Tlaloc was expressing his displeasure. This story reflects the ongoing cultural connection between modern Mexicans and their ancient religious heritage.
In indigenous communities that maintain traditional practices, offerings to rain and mountain spirits continue, representing an unbroken thread connecting contemporary Mexico to its Mesoamerican past.
Related Across the Mythos
Huitzilopochtli
Aztec Deity
Co-deity of the Templo Mayor