Tepoztecatl

Tepoztecatl, described in the Codex Borgia

In Aztec mythology, Tepoztecatl /teposˈteːkat͡ɬ/ (from tepoztli "workable metal" /teˈpost͡ɬi/ and tēcatl "person" /ˈteːkat͡ɬ/ ) or Tezcatzontecatl /teːskat͡sonˈteːkat͡ɬ/ (from tēzcatl /teːskat͡ɬ/ "mirror", tzontli "four hundred" /ˈt͡sont͡ɬi/ and tēcatl "person" /ˈteːkat͡ɬ/) was the god of pulque, of drunkenness and fertility. The deity was also known by his calendrical name, Ometochtli ("two-rabbit").[1] He is a consort of Mayahuel, who is a mask-avatar of Xochiquetzal.

According to Aztec myth, Tepoztecatl was one of the Centzon Totochtin,[2] the four hundred children of Mayahuel, the goddess of the maguey plant, and Patecatl, the god that discovered the fermentation process.[1] As a deity of pulque, Tepoztecatl was associated with fertility cults and Tlaloc.[1] Tepoztecatl was also associated with the wind, hence deriving an alternative name of Ehecacone, son of the wind.[1]

Tepoztecatl appears in the Mendoza Codex carrying a copper axe.[1]

El Tepozteco, in the Mexican state of Morelos, is an archaeological site named after the deity. The site was a sacred place for pilgrims from as far as Chiapas and Guatemala.[1] This site has a small pyramid built on a platform 9.5 meters high, located on a mountain overlooking the town of Tepoztlan.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Canto Aguilar 1998
  2. ↑ Fernández 1992, 1996, p.146. Centzon Totochtin means 'the four hundred rabbits'. In this context, four hundred should be understood as uncountable or innumerable.

References

Canto Aguilar, Giselle (1998). El Tepozteco, Morelos (Miniguía) (in Spanish). Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
Fernández, Adela (1996) [1992]. Dioses Prehispánicos de México (in Spanish). Mexico City: Panorama Editorial. ISBN 968-38-0306-7. OCLC 59601185.

External links