Several of his alternative names, Titlacauan and Ipalnemoani, refer to his important status among the Aztecs, literally meaning “We are his slaves” and “He by whom we live,” respectively. He is happiest when leading people down the garden path to evil. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tloquenahuaque. ↩, Some Aztec legends, like those in the Ramirez Codex, say that Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli were responsible for creating the world. Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror. Tezcatlipoca’s name means “Smoking Mirror.” Among other things, he was also the god of the night sky and the direction north. As with his elder brother Xipe Totec, the Aztecs offered Tezcatlipoca annual human sacrifices. Ritual blood-letting and even human sacrifice were conducted with obsidian blades. A lover of chaotic confusion, he carries a smoking mirror which bewilders enemies and confuses the issues. Tezcatlipoca: Trickster and Supreme Deity. POW! In the form of Aztec pictorial writing, this story must be one of the most exciting comic strips ever. In the Aztec religion, Tezcatlipoca was an important god. Tezcatlipoca was an important god in the Aztec religion. Wikipedia contributors. Together with his eternal opposite Quetzalcoatl, he created the world. In this process, Tezcatlipoca lost his foot when he used it as bait for the Earth Monster Cipactli. In the 1984 comic Wonder Woman (volume 1, #314), Tezcatlipoca served as Wonder Woman’s primary antagonist. He is sealed inside his temple in the jungles of Mexico. Tezcatlipoca (smoking mirror) was the first god to be a sun. Such rituals all connected back to Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca would soon get his revenge and bring Quetzalcoatl’s time as the sun to an end. Meehan, Evan. The antagonism between Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl began to grow shortly after the former turned himself into the first sun. The band Mastodon referenced Tezcatlipoca in their song ‘Jaguar God.’ The lines “Smoking mirrors black obsidian” and “Lord of the near and the nigh” were both direct references to Tezcatlipoca. A creator god, Tezcatlipoca ruled over Ocelotonatiuh (“Jaguar-Sun”), the first of the four worlds that were created and destroyed before the present universe. If you wish to use our material in your essay, book, article, website or project, please consult our permissions page. Meehan, Evan. We are often asked about mythology merchandise. The post-Classic (after ad 900) Maya-Quiche people of Guatemala revered him as a lightning god under the name Hurakan ("One Foot"). Sometimes he was shown as a partner in creation, but more often he was shown as a god of judgment and destruction. Tezcatlipoca played many contradictory roles in Aztec mythology. Tezcatlipoca (Evening Star aspect of Venus) was the giver and taker away of life, and with his magic mirror, he could stare into the hearts and souls of men. Evan Meehan, “Tezcatlipoca,” Mythopedia, accessed , https://mythopedia.com/aztec-mythology/gods/tezcatlipoca/. Alternative names: Omacatl, Smoking Mirror, Tezcalipoca, Titlacauan, Gender: Male Any reflection was a portal through which he could view the world. He is the god intelligence and self-reflection, a patron of priests. Tezcatlipoca’s cult was brought to central Mexico by the Toltecs, Nahua-speaking warriors from the north, about the end of the 10th century ad. Not sure of the spelling? TEZCATLIPOCA ("the smoking mirror") was one of the four Aztec creator gods who arranged the universe and set the cosmic ages in motion through periodic celestial battles. Their battles were repeated several times, accompanied by devastation, world destruction and severe inconvenience to a large number of monkeys. Tezcatlipoca, (Nahuatl: “Smoking Mirror”) god of the Great Bear constellation and of the night sky, one of the major deities of the Aztec pantheon. This has alternatively been translated as “next to whom is the being of all things, conserving them and sustaining them.” Historian Miguel Leon Portilla believes that it referred to Ometeotl, the combined deity of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. Tezcatlipoca was a god of exceptional significance amongst the Aztec pantheon. “Tezcatlipoca.” Wikipedia. He was labeled the god of the nocturnal sky, temptation, sorcery, and war. Tezcatlipoca and his brothers, the tzitzimime, created the world. In his drunkenness, Topiltzin-Quetzalcoatl slept with his celibate priestess sister. Read, Kay Almere and Jason J. Gonzalez. Aztec Night-time God Also known as Omacatl, Smoking Mirror, Tezcalipoca, Titlacauan The all-important God of Night, Death and Confusion He is the old arch-rival of Top God Quetzalcoatl and spent most of his time during the Creation of the Universe bashing, crashing and smashing his enemy’s work instead of doing anything constructive. Tezcatlipoca is the Smoking Mirror. PUNCH! In tracing the history of the worship of Quetzalcoatl, … Do we sell Tezcatlipoca graphic novels, books, video or role-playing games (RPG)? Tezcatlipoca (Tez-ca-tlee-POH-ka), whose name means “Smoking Mirror”, was the Aztec god of night and sorcery, as well as the patron deity of Aztec kings and young warriors. BBCODE: To link to this page in a forum post or comment box, just copy and paste the link code below: Here's the info you need to cite this page. His Roots Go Back as Far as the Ancient Olmec. As an ever-growing archive, our mission is to catalog the world’s mythology on the web for all to enjoy. In addition to his shapeshifting ability, Tezcatlipoca also appeared as several different gods who wer… A key feature of the Aztec religion were annual festivals dedicated to each major deity. https://mythopedia.com/aztec-mythology/gods/tezcatlipoca/. While some of the legends say that Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl worked together, most tales described them as working towards the same goal in opposition to one another. “Tezcatlipoca.” Mythopedia, https://mythopedia.com/aztec-mythology/gods/tezcatlipoca/. Before the world was created, all that existed were a few gods, a massive ocean, and the sea monster/crocodile Cipactli. Originally he symbolized the night sky, and for that reason he is related to the stellar gods, to the moon, and to those that signify death, evil, or destruction. A supreme god of the Aztecs, Tezcatlipoca which means “smoking mirror” was the patron god of sorcery and … Every year, a young man—typically a prisoner of war—was chosen to represent Tezcatlipoca. The festival would reach its climax with the man voluntarily walking up the steps of the tlacochcalco (literally “house of darts,” essentially a stepped pyramid that housed the Aztec’s armory) and breaking a ceramic flute at each step. Once he reached the summit, the sacrificial victim would have his heart removed with an obsidian blade; he may also have been flayed and decapitated. He feuded with his brother Quetzalcoatl and emerged victorious after tricking his younger sibling into shaming himself. 116 (June 1884), 617. (Copyright notice.) Tezcatlipoca (bottom), god of providence in the Codex Borgia. He was known as Black Tezcatlipoca or the “mirror that smokes”, god of the day and of Texcoco. in History from Georgia State University. Tezcatlipoca (テスカトリポカ, Tesukatoripoka) is the god worshiped by the Aztecs.Warriors Jaguars and servants of this god seeking release it. In your essay, book, article, website or project, please our! 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