Mexican Myth Station

Directions

Read the following packet (myth description, legends, and most important gods and goddesses). Then answer the following questions.

1. What makes up Mexican myth? Think about the types of gods and goddesses, and the types of legends they tell. How is Mexican myth different from other myths?

2. How does Mexican mythology influence Mexican culture, traditions, and holidays?

3. Summarize the legend of the Cempasuchil flower?

4. Who is your favorite god or goddess from the top 10 list and why?

5. Compare Mexican myth to at least one other type of mythology that we have studied (Greek, Egyptian, etc.)

Mexican Myths

Mexico's mythology, like its population, reflects a blend of Native American and Spanish influences. Most people in modern Mexico trace their ancestry to Native Americans, to the Spanish who controlled Mexico for three centuries, or to both, in a mixed-race heritage called mestizo. In the same way, Mexican religion, myths, and legends are a blend of Indian traditions, European influences such as Christianity, and mixtures of the two. The Maya Indian villagers believe, for example, that the chacs, ancient rain spirits, are controlled by Jesus Christ and accompanied in their movement across the skies by the Virgin Mary, his mother. Mexican mythology is a product of syncretism—a process in which two belief systems merge to form one that is different from either of the original systems or in which a new belief system overlies an older one that has not disappeared.

Background and Roots. Even before the Europeans arrived, Mexico was a land of varied cultures. Peoples who shared the Nahua family of languages dominated the north, while Mayan languages and culture were widespread in the south. Migration, trade, and war brought the different people and cultures of Mexico into contact with one another.

These contacts led to syncretism in religion and mythology. As the Aztecs of northern Mexico embarked on wars of conquest and built an empire in central Mexico, they absorbed the deities of conquered peoples into their own pantheon. In turn, myths and religious practices from central Mexico filtered south to influence the Maya. The Aztec influence boosted the importance of the god Quetzalcoatl—known as Kukulcan to the Maya—and of human sacrifices to the gods.

Spain conquered Mexico between 1519 and 1521 and governed it as a colony until 1821, when Mexico won its independence. During the three centuries of colonial rule, a new syncretism emerged, one that blended Indian and European beliefs. Spanish missionaries and priests strove to convert the Native Americans to Christianity and to stamp out their pagan religions. At the same time, some of the missionaries collected information about Indian beliefs, customs, and myths. Father Bernadino de Sahagun published accounts of the Aztecs that remain valuable sources of traditional lore; Father Diego de Landa did the same for the Maya.

Legacy of Mythology. Several aspects of modern Mexican culture show the importance of myths in national life. Religious fiestas or festivals often combine pagan traditions with the worship of Christian saints. Mourning and funeral practices are also a syncretistic blend of Native American and Christian ideas.

The ancient belief that people's personalities and needs continue unchanged after death leads to the custom of burying possessions and useful objects with the dead. A related belief is the notion that the dead can harm the living unless ceremonies are performed to keep them from doing so. On November 2, the people of Mexico celebrate a national holiday called the Day of the Dead. Images of death, such as skulls and skeletons, appear everywhere on toys, candies, breads, and masks; at the same time, families prepare altars with offerings for dead relatives, who are thought to visit the world of the living at that time.

The Legend of Maize

Quetzalcoatl and the Corn Plant

 

An ancient legend tells the story that before the arrival of the god Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs only consumed roots and game animals; they did not eat corn because it was beyond their reach, hidden behind the massive mountains surrounding the city.

 

 The other gods had already sought to part the mountains for the Aztecs to gain access to this precious food, but they never succeeded.

 

The Aztec people sent their priests to ask Quetzalcoatl to help them get the corn. He answered them that he would go and bring them back this precious food.

All of the other gods had already tried to move the mountains by using force, Quetzalcoatl decided to use something more powerful… intelligence.

 

 Quetzalcoatl was transformed into a small black ant and in the company of a red made his way toward the mountains.

 The path presented many difficulties, but one by one he overcame them, determined to move forward by the thought of helping the Aztec people.

After several days, Quetzalcoatl arrived at the back of the mountains where he found the corn and, being an ant, took a grain between his teeth and began his journey back.

 

Once he returned to his people, he handed over the grain of corn to be planted.

From that day onward, the Aztecs were devoted to cultivating and harvesting the corn plant and thus become a strong people, full of riches and achieving an impressive development of beautiful cities, temples, and palaces.

 

The Legend of the Cempasuchil Flower

 

This beautiful legend recounts the love story of two young Aztecs, Xóchitl and Huitzilin, a romance from which the cempasuchil flower was born.

This wonderful love story began when the two young Aztecs were still little. They used to spend all their spare time playing and enjoying discovering their town together. Although  Xochitl was a delicate girl, her family let her join in the adventures of her neighbor Huitzilin.  With time, it was only natural that their love would flourish.

They particularly enjoyed hiking to the top of a near mountain where they would offer flowers to the Sun god Tonatiuh. The god seemed to appreciate their offering and would smile from the sky with his warm rays.  On a particularly beautiful day at the top of the mountain, they swore that their love would last forever.

When war broke out the lovers were separated as Huitzilin headed to fight and protect their homeland.

Soon the dreaded news of  Huitzilin‘s death reached Xóchitl.  She felt her world falling to pieces, her heart completely torn.

She decided to walk one last time to the top of the mountain and implore the sun god  Tonatiuh, to somehow join her with her love Huitzilin.  The sun moved by her prayers threw a ray that gently touched the young girl’s cheek. Instantly she turned into a beautiful flower of fiery colors as intense at the sun rays.

Suddenly a hummingbird lovingly touched the center of the flower with its beak.

It was Huitzilin that was reborn as a handsome hummingbird.  The flower gently opened its 20 petals,  filling the air with a mysterious and lovely scent.

The lovers would be always together as long as cempasuchil flowers and hummingbirds existed on earth.

This is how the cempasúchil  flower came to be the Day of the Dead Flower.

The Legend of Cocoa

 

Mexican culture is rich in history and traditions, many reflected in legends, fables and myths.  Here follows the legend of cocoa-chocolate and the mythical god Quetzalcoatl.

This ancient legend recounts the story of how the god Quetzalcoatl gave the Toltecs precious cocoa grains.  This generous god wanted his people to be well fed and by being healthy dedicate themselves to improve and be the best people they could be, studious, knowledgeable, generous and artistically talented. 

It is said that Quetzalcóatl stole the cocoa tree from paradise where all the other gods lived and he planted the small bush in Tula, Mexico. 

After planting the small tree he asked Tlaloc, the god of water to send rain to the area so the plant could thrive and grow. 

Later he visited Xochiquetzal, the goddess of love and beauty and requested she would give the tree beautiful flowers. In time the small tree flowered and produced the coca fruit. 

The Culture of the Sun

 

When the first men became conscious of the light that was emitted from the sun, and the relationship that exists between light and day; darkness and night; the sun and the moon; they assigned them each values.  The sun received the positive values: life and flourishing nature; the moon’s values were a little more negative: the world of the dead, a decline.

From the sun comes positive energy, and to him, “Tonathiu”, the highest honors are given in the festivals and traditions that come from the “life cycles” – the same cycles which are associated with the arrival of Spring.

In all of the pre-Colombian cultures, the sun is associated with the Spring rituals, when life is reborn and flourishes.  It is also the time of year to prepare the fallow land for harvest.  In the “huichol” pueblos, a ritual is prepared for the “deer”, which is the sun that carries light to the pueblos throughout the three-day celebration.

The figure of the sun is even present in the roundness of our Mexican tortilla, which nourishes and provides energy for our body.  The form of the tortilla – round — and the corn – yellow like the sun – bring together symbolic elements of the positive values.

The Pre-Hispanic cultures took advantage of the light of the sun, converting into energy for their own bodies.  They would rub their hands together vigorously, and then expose their hands to the sun of the heavenly star for several minutes, sitting on the ground with their legs crossed in the lotus position.

In archaeological centers across the world, it has become a tradition for the people to receive the equinox.  As the pyramids attract energy, people arrive dressed in white, ready to receive the forces of the sun.  Many arrive early in the morning, climb the pyramids, and find a good place to receive the energy.  Some wear flower necklaces; others wear red handkerchiefs around their foreheads; and those who are the most deeply rooted in the tradition light incense and walk in huaraches or go barefoot along the edifying rocks.

The force of the sun cannot be diminished by anyone, not even by its antagonist – the moon.  If it could, life, goodness, and a growing and flourishing nature would all come to an end.  Therefore, when there is a solar eclipse, indigenous villages come to the sun’s defense, and through dance, prayer, and many diverse rituals, they protect the sun from the moon.  The triumph comes when, according to the tradition, they manage to drive away the “meztli” – the traitor moon which leaves after he is kept from eating the sun. 

The sun…luminous life that gives heat and is represented in all sorts of clay forms, copper, murals, bracelets, necklaces; in the treasure of “Olinalá” and in the belts of “Quiroga”the sun, which belongs to everyone…the same as always.

http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Le-Me/Mexican-Mythology.html

The 10 Most Important Aztec Gods and Goddesses

The Aztecs had a complex and diversified pantheon. Scholars studying the Aztec religion have identified no fewer than 200 gods and goddesses, divided into three groups. Each group supervises one aspect of the universe: the heaven or the sky; the rain, fertility and agriculture; and, finally, the war and sacrifice. Often, the Aztec gods were based on those of older Mesoamerican religions or shared by other societies of the day. 

Huitzilopochtli

Huitzilopochtli (pronounced Weetz-ee-loh-POSHT-lee) was the patron god of the Aztecs. During the great migration from their legendary home of Aztalan, Huitzilopochtli told the Aztecs where they should establish their capital city of Tenochtitlan and urged them on their way. His name means “Hummingbird of the Left” and he was the patron of war and sacrifice. His shrine, on top of the pyramid of the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan, was decorated with skulls and painted red to represent blood.

Tlaloc

Tlaloc (pronounced Tlá-lock), the rain god, is one of the most ancient deities in all Mesoamerica. Associated with fertility and agriculture, his origins can be traced back to Teotihuacan, the Olmec and the Maya civilizations. Tlaloc's main shrine was the second shrine after Huitzilopochtli's, located on top of the Templo Mayor, the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. His shrine was decorated with blue bands representing rain and water. The Aztec believed that the cries and tears of newborn children were sacred to the god, and, therefore, many ceremonies for Tlaloc involved the sacrifice of children. 

Tonatiuh

Tonatiuh (pronounced Toh-nah-tee-uh) was the Aztec sun god. He was a nourishing god who provided warmth and fertility to the people. In order to do so, he needed sacrificial blood. Tonatiuh was also the patron of warriors. In Aztec mythology, Tonatiuh governed the era under which the Aztec believed to live, the era of the Fifth Sun; and it is Tonatiuh's face in the center of the Aztec sun stone.  More »

Tezcatlipoca

 Tezcatlipoca (pronounced Tez-cah-tlee-poh-ka)'s name means “Smoking Mirror” and he is often represented as an evil power, associated with death and cold. Tezcatlipoca was the patron of the night, of the north, and in many aspects represented the opposite of his brother, Quetzalcoatl. His image has black stripes on his face and he carries an obsidian mirror. More »

Chalchiuhtlicue

Chalchiuhtlicue (pronounced Tchal-chee-uh-tlee-ku-eh) was the goddess of running water and all aquatic elements. Her name means “she of the Jade Skirt”. She was the wife and/or sister of Tlaloc and was also patroness of childbirth. She is most often illustrated wearing a green/blue skirt from which flows a stream of water. 

Centeotl

Centeotl (pronounced Cen-teh-otl) was the god of maize, and as such he was based on a pan-Mesoamerican god shared by Olmec and Maya religions. His name means “Maize cob Lord”. He was closely related to Tlaloc and is usually represented as a young man with a maize cob sprouting from his headdress. 

Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl (pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-atl), “the Feathered Serpent”, is probably the most famous Aztec deity and is known in many other Mesoamerican cultures such as Teotihuacan and the Maya. He represented the positive counterpart of Tezcatlipoca. He was the patron of knowledge and learning and also a creative god.

Quetzalcoatl is also linked to the idea that the last Aztec emperor, Moctezuma, believed that the arrival of the Spanish conquistador Cortes was the fulfilling of a prophecy about the return of the god. However, many scholars now consider this myth as a creation of the Franciscan friars during the post-Conquest period. 

Xipe Totec

Xipe Totec (pronounced Shee-peh Toh-tek) is “Our Lord with the flayed skin”. Xipe Totec was the god of agricultural fertility, the east and the goldsmiths. He is usually portrayed wearing a flayed human skin representing the death of the old and the growth of the new vegetation. More »

Mayahuel, The Aztec Goddess of Maguey

Mayahuel (pronounced My-ya-whale) is the Aztec goddess of the maguey plant, the sweet sap of which, aguamiel, was considered her blood. Mayahuel is also known as "the woman of the 400 breasts" to feed her children, the Centzon Totochtin or “400 rabbits”. 

Tlaltecuhtli, Aztec Earth Goddess

Tlaltechutli (Tlal-teh-koo-tlee) is the monstrous earth goddess. Her name means "The one who give and devours life" and she required many human sacrifices to sustain her. Tlaltechutli represents the surface of the earth, who angrily devours the sun every evening to give it back the next day.