The Mexica Cosmos
Enter the world of the Mexica (Aztec) people, where the cosmos was sustained by blood and sacrifice, where the Fifth Sun illuminated a world born from the destruction of four previous creations, and where gods of jade, obsidian, and fire shaped the destiny of humanity.
Aztec mythology emerged from the Mexica civilization that dominated central Mexico from the 14th to 16th centuries CE. Their religious worldview combined indigenous Mesoamerican traditions with influences from earlier civilizations like the Toltec and Teotihuacan. At its heart lies the concept of cyclical creation and destruction, with the current world being the Fifth Sun (Nahui Ollin), sustained only through the sacrifice of blood and hearts to keep the sun moving across the sky.
The Aztec pantheon features hundreds of deities, from cosmic creators like Ometeotl to patron gods like Huitzilopochtli. Their myths address fundamental questions about creation, time, sacrifice, death, and the relationship between humanity and the divine forces that govern existence.
Explore Aztec Mythology
The Five Suns
According to Aztec cosmology, the world has been created and destroyed four times before our current era. Each previous Sun was ruled by a different deity and was destroyed in a cataclysm. We live in the era of the Fifth Sun (Nahui Ollin - "Four Movement"), which will be destroyed by earthquakes. This cyclical view of creation emphasizes the impermanence of existence and the necessity of sacrifice to delay the inevitable end.
Blood and Sacrifice
Central to Aztec religion was the concept of nextlahualli (debt payment) - humans owed a blood debt to the gods who sacrificed themselves to create the world. Human sacrifice, particularly heart extraction, was seen as essential to nourish the sun and maintain cosmic order. The Aztecs believed that without this sacred sustenance, the sun would cease its journey across the sky, plunging the world into eternal darkness.
Duality and Balance
Aztec thought emphasized duality - life and death, creation and destruction, male and female forces in eternal interplay. The supreme deity Ometeotl ("Two God") embodied this principle as both Ometecuhtli (male) and Omecihuatl (female). This duality extends throughout the pantheon, with gods often appearing in complementary pairs or possessing dual aspects that represent opposing but interconnected forces.