HUITZILOPOCHTLI: Who is he?, legend, meaning and more

Huitzilopochtli, an important deity of the Mexicans, considered in the Aztec pantheon, as the sun god and of war, who was one of the most worshiped, when the conquest by the Spanish begins, do not stop reading it, because it is quite interesting .

Who is Huitzilopochtli?

Huitzilopochtli is the Aztec god of the Sun and War, whose name means Blue Hummingbird. Being the empire of the Aztecs, recognized worldwide, and which emerged approximately between the years 1325 and 1521; where it currently exists in the country of Mexico, and part of the central and southern area of ​​Central America, some of his descendants, as a legacy of many of his original roots.

This god Huitzilopochtli is generally represented as a blue man, armed and full of hummingbird feathers on his head. Being born to Coatlicue, it is said that she became pregnant with Huitzilopochtli, because a large number of feathers fell from the sky touching her, and with this this god was born, who was practically born as an adult warrior.

Although Coatlicue’s other children thought that she had dishonored them and wanted to kill their mother for this reason. But at that precise moment Huitzilopochtli emerged from her mother and saved her. Demonstrating that he also cut off the head of her sister Coyolxauhqui, throwing it into the sky, where it would end up being the moon. (We recommend reading Chilam Balam)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdWOBuutnVM

Huitzilopochtli, therefore, this is an Aztec god, who was venerated and to whom sacrifices were offered, generally being made with humans, who were captured as war hostages, since this town generally had war conflicts with its neighbors and with the sacrifices they had good harvests, rains and triumphs in their battles.

Curiously, this was a town that performed human sacrifices, and this was done by ripping out the heart from people’s bodies, while they were still alive, which was later offered to their sun god or Huitzilopochtli. Something contemplated in film productions such as Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, where a character is seen dressed as an Aztec priest, representing this god.

All about his legend

The god Huitzilopochtli is born to a mother who conceives him without having relations with anyone, simply by being touched by a group of blue Hummingbird feathers, and this god upon birth immediately becomes a warrior, equipped with armor and weapons. It is said that Coatlicue, who was his mother, had approximately 400 children, who were called Surians.

These brothers of Huitzilopochtli, as indicated above, consider that their mother had dishonored them, therefore they attack her, but at that precise moment she is defended by Huitzilopochtli, who had just been born.

In this way the god begins to punish each and every one of his brothers, who wanted to kill their mother, one of them being Coyolxauhqui, who was turned into the Moon; Many of the Surians tried to escape, but the god Huitzilopochtli began to hunt them all, with the aim of turning them into stars.

What does it mean?

Huitzilopochtli is a god whose name, as stated above, means Blue Hummingbird on the Left, and is presented as a blue Aztec man, equipped with armor and a series of weapons, and with hummingbird feathers adorning his head.

A frequently worshiped deity, especially before the presence of the Spanish in this territory, being part of a myth and as a representation of the founding of Mexico-Tecnichtitlan, which is evidenced by its image, which is represented in the National Coat of Arms of this Nation as well as its Flag.

Huitzilopochtli, parties are held in his honor once a year, his name in Nahuatl being Panquetzaliztli. A deity whose representative symbolism focused on war, revenge and the domination of other territories.

Once the Aztec empire fell, this god became known by the conquerors as Huichilobos, and they tried as much as possible to eradicate his entire cult, considering that he had qualities considered evil, and therefore they sought to eliminate all temples, codices , sculptures and all the elements that were associated with this deity.

Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl was considered another of the representative gods of the Mexica Pantheon, represented with a feathered serpent; that he is considered one of the four sons of those gods considered primordial divine beings called Ometecuhtli and Omecihuati, all of this contemplated in legends related to the formation of the universe.

In this order of ideas, Quetzalcoatl represents life, light, everything that is knowledge, wealth, information, being therefore the leader of the West in which case the name of Tezcatlipoca Blanco is used. But he is also considered the brother of Huitzilopochtli.

They, through what can be known in all the stories, were like the exchange of sun through the sky, and the presence of light, with which they governed the territory on the surface of the earth and the destiny of men on it. ; helped by all his brothers, like Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli and Xolotl. (You may be interested in knowing the Mayan Calendar)

Huitzilopochtli in the Great Temple

There was a great Temple in the Nahuatl region, where what was known as the Great Temple was considered to be located, being the site where Mexican religious life was practiced. Being formed by a series of buildings or pyramidal constructions or considered as towers.

Which today several of its structures are still preserved, and is still called the Great Temple; and being considered of vital importance for the religious life of the Mexican people. A place of fascinating beauty, used for offerings, funerary deposits, worship of gods and many other aspects of their religious cult.

This was a temple made up of several buildings, each of which was dedicated to a certain god. The southern area corresponded to Huitzilopochtli, and therefore considered the Left or Left Hummingbird, which was located on the right; where the monolith of Coyolxauhqu was presented, a relic that represented the action of the god Huitzilopochtli, on his sister, as revenge for wanting to kill his own mother.

Art and Painting

This is a god who, as has been indicated, does not have many images that represent him, but who has been the object of artistic creations by some authors, such as in paintings that refer to representative aspects of the Aztec people.

Or as graphic representations used to identify products or items associated with Mexican culture; The image is also used to create caricatures, or simply as a tattoo.

The figure of the god Huitzilopochtli represents a very colorful image, which draws attention, since in general he can be presented with the head of a hummingbird and the human body, but always with distinctive elements such as his armor, the feathers of his head and the presence of weapons, since it is the representation of a warrior, and a symbolic element for the entire Aztec nation. (You may be interested in knowing the Popol Vuh)

What is your image like?

The god Huitzilopochtli does not have many images or representations, despite being considered an essential deity in the life of Mexicans, but this is probably due to the fact that upon the arrival of the Spanish, they tried to eliminate many of his elements of the life of the Aztecs, based on considerations of an evil nature.

However, codices have been found belonging to the cult of this god, and where descriptions of how he was represented are shown, so much so that it is used in the shield and flag of the Mexican Nation.

I sing in his honor

The song created in honor of the god Huitzilopochtli is considered a hymn offered to this deity, considered guardian of the city of Mexico, who is also called Opochtli, which means left.

According to research carried out, two hymns were addressed to this god, with which religious ceremonies were carried out by the priests, with which they worshiped their solar god.

We are going to show you an example stanza, with its corresponding translation, so that you can appreciate it for yourselves.

“Huitzilopochtli in ya’quetl, a’co in ai, in yo’huihui’huia. “A’nen niccuic tozquemitl, quen ya noca oyatonac”

When these lines are translated, the following meaning can be observed.

“Hummingbird of the south, the warrior, the one who works above walking his daily path. It was not in vain that I took the yellow feather clothing because it was already warm with me (the sun has risen).”

When the priests sang these hymns, they were dressed as the god, and they performed it in front of his temple; This is a type of song that has been analyzed by many scholars and has had controversies regarding its essential meaning, but it must always be considered that by the time the song was created, life was not like today.

Well, let’s be clear, these primitive people worshiped their deities as true gods, and thought that by offering them sacrifices, they would earn their protection, therefore the songs and hymns are directed to the faith that was manifested at that time to Huitzilopochtli. For this reason we leave you a video so that you can properly appreciate the song directed to this Aztec god.

Tattoo Designs

People who decide to get a tattoo generally look for elements with which they can identify; That is why many choose designs representative of the god Huitzilopochtli, since it is an important symbol of Aztec culture, which traveled throughout the world.

They make this choice because they consider that he is a deity representative of the strength of the sun and dominion over other people; a symbol of all the energy contained in the warrior, which is presented full of color and charm, especially being emblematic of one of the most important Central American cultures.

Huitzilopochtli, Left-handed hummingbird

Huitzilopochtli is a god who, due to the form of his creation and birth, has been associated with the Hummingbird, considering that this is also due to the fact that he has been called that way, since when he appears on earth he does so in the shape of a hummingbird. and also speaks to them with the voice of this bird.

For this reason, his face is often drawn, emerging from the beak of the hummingbird, thus being represented as a tribal chief. Which is based on the belief that the souls of warriors who have died in combat, like many kings, wander the heavens for years, serving the sun with their songs and dances.

The reason why they transform into various kinds of beautiful birds, such as the hummingbird, and the name left-handed, is due to the fact that they are considered to belong to the South.

In this way we finish our journey through the life of the god Huitzilopochtli, hoping that with this you have learned why he is considered the god of war and the patron of the Mexicans, since they in…