Tezcatlipoca where to find

The Aztecs believed they lived in the fifth and last epoch. Tezcatlipoca ruled the first sun when the world was inhabited by giants.

A fight between Tezcatlipoca and the god Quetzalcoatl, who wanted to replace him, put an end to this first world with the giants being devoured by jaguars. The opposition between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca is reflected in the legend of the mythical city of Tollan.

The legend reports that Quetzalcoatl was a peaceful king and priest of Tollan, but he was deceived by Tezcatlipoca and his followers, who practiced human sacrifice and violence. Ultimately, Quetzalcoatl was forced into exile. Some archaeologists and historians believe that the legend of the fight between Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl refers to historical events such as the clash of different ethnic groups from the North and Central Mexico.

To Tezcatlipoca was dedicated one of the most ostentatious and imposing ceremonies of the Aztec religious calendar year. This was the Toxcatl or One Drought sacrifice, which was celebrated at the height of the dry season in May and involved the sacrifice of a boy. A young man was chosen at the festival among the most physically perfect prisoners. For the next year, the young man personified Tezcatlipoca, traveling through the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan attended by servants, fed with delicious food, wearing the finest clothing, and being trained in music and religion.

About 20 days before the final ceremony he was married to four virgins who entertained him with songs and dances; together they wandered Tenochtitlan's streets. The final sacrifice took place at Toxcatl's May celebrations. The young man and his entourage traveled to the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan, and as he walked up the stairs of the temple he played music with four flutes that represented the world's directions; he would destroy the four flutes on his way up the stairs. When he reached the top, a group of priests carried out his sacrifice.

As soon as this happened, a new boy was chosen for the following year. Despite some superficial similarities to the Aztec deity—such as an affinity for mirrors—the character was ultimately very different from his inspiration.

Baquedano, Elizabeth, ed. Tezcatlipoca: Trickster and Supreme Deity. Phillips, Henry Jr. Accessed June 19, Read, Kay Almere and Jason J. Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythology. Smith, Michael E. Edited by Elizabeth Baquedano. Wikipedia contributors. Accessed July 13, Accessed July 15, Elizabeth Baquedano, ed. Allen, eds. October 26, Oh woe. Javascript is switched off in your browser. Some bits of this website may not work unless you switch it on.

They were two of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, the lord and lady who had created all the gods and the first humans. Sometimes, these brothers were described as the four Tezcatlipocas, distinguished by color. He was associated with the color black, while Quetzalcoatl was the White Tezcatlipoca. Before they created the land, all that existed was the sea.

In it lived a monstrous reptile known as Cipactli. The brothers needed to capture Cipactli to make her body into the land. Tezcatlipoca used his foot as bait, so he can sometimes be identified in art because his missing foot is replaced with smoking obsidian, a bone, or a snake. In a story that seems to have been more widespread, however, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl were rivals. This is known as the legend of the Five Suns.

When the world was created, Tezcatlipoca made himself the sun. Because he was missing a leg, however, he could only be half a sun, so Quetzalcoatl knocked him out of the sky with a stone club. Tezcatlipoca turned himself into a jaguar and ripped the world apart. The first age, called the Sun of the Earth or the Jaguar Sun, was destroyed. Quetzalcoatl then became the sun himself. He was overthrown by Tezcatlipoca, who saw that the people who lived under Quetzalcoatl were animalistic and uncivilized.

He turned these people into monkeys, which Quetzalcoatl blew from the earth with a great wind. This was the Sun of the Wind. After this Tlaloc, the god of rain, became the sun. When the people of this world begged him to send rain, Tlaloc grew so annoyed that he sent a rain of fire to kill them all. The gods made a new world from the ashes, ending the Sun of Rain. The only people who survived this sun became birds, who could go into the air to escape the burning earth.

Tezcatlipoca accused her of faking this kindness, however. Chalciuhlicue was so hurt by this accusation that she cried for fifty-two years.