After his fall, Tezcatlipoca was transformed from a humanoid to a jaguar, becoming more associated with night, witches, thieves, and others who perform deeds under the cover of darkness. Hartley Earth-One Batman villain. In celebration of this god, the Aztec held a feast each year to honor Tezcatlipoca during which a specially chosen young man would climb the stairs of the temple and then be sacrificed by the priest. In addition, he was known by several other names with meanings like Sower of Discord, Night, Wind, and He by whom we live. Add a photo to this gallery. [14] There are also several references to momoztli. He is said to have cooperated with Quetzalcoatl to create the world from the body of the monster Cipactli, losing his foot in the process. Real Name: Tezcatlipoca. Also the Classic Maya god of rulership and thunder known to modern Mayanists as "God K", or the "Manikin Scepter" and to the classic Maya as K'awil was depicted with a smoking obsidian knife in his forehead and one leg replaced with a snake. It is possible that he is either the same god that the Olmec and Maya reference with their "jaguar deity" or that Tezcatlipoca is a latter, more expanded version of the foundations the Olmec and Maya set, as the Aztecs often took inspiration from earlier cultures. Before their act there was only the sea and the crocodilian earthmonster called Cipactli. Tezcatlipoca was generally represented with a stripe of black paint across his face and an obsidian mirror in place of one of his feet. Tez-ca-tli-po-ca) Nahuatl: “Smoking Mirror” god of the constellation of the Great Bear and the night sky, one of the main deities of the Aztec pantheon. Quetzalcoatl became the ruler of the subsequent creation "Sun of Water", and Tezcatlipoca destroyed the third creation "The Sun of Wind" by striking down Quetzalcoatl. Powers and Stats. Sometimes the mirror was shown on his chest, and sometimes smoke would emanate from the mirror. Wonder Woman. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tezcatlipoca, The British Museum - Mosaic mask of Tezcatlipoca, Ancient History Encyclopedia - Tezcatlipoca, Tezcatlipoca - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Tezcatlipoca - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Tezcatlipoca would use earthquakes to destroy the world while the Tzitzimimeh, the jealous stars, killed their brother Huitzilopochtli. Called Yoalli Ehécatl (“Night Wind”), Yaotl (“Warrior”), and Telpochtli (“Young Man”), he was said to appear at crossroads at night to challenge warriors. Tezcatlipoca's nagual, his animal counterpart, was the jaguar and his jaguar aspect was the deity Tepeyollotl ("Mountainheart"). [18] When the ritual called for it, priests would also dress up as Tezcatlipoca himself and accompany other similarly outfitted gods or goddesses. Those people who survived the deluge were turned into fish.[29]. [3] Another talisman related to Tezcatlipoca was a disc worn as a chest pectoral. As with many Aztec gods, he was associated with several aspects of Aztec religion, the sky, and the earth, winds and the north, kingship, divination, and war. [10] However, the fact that many images are difficult to identify as one god or another does not mean that no generalizations can be made about Tezcatlipoca's appearance. My Modern Interpretation 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. He was involved in the earth’s creation, commanded jaguars, oversaw sacrifices, and presided over the night sky. On the appointed feast day, he climbed the steps of a small temple while breaking flutes that he had played. [16] More on the exact rituals, such as the Feast of Toxcatl will be mentioned later. At the top he was sacrificed by the removal of his heart. [16] Another common practice was to cover themselves in black soot or ground charcoal while they were involved in priestly activities at the temple or during rituals. [21] The king would stand "naked, emphasizing his utter unworthiness," speaking as nothing but a vessel for the god's will. TEZCATLIPOCA. "On his installation," the new king fasted and meditated, "which included prayers in honor of Tezcatlipoca, the patron deity of the royal house". Beyond it stood a wide, long chamber the size of a great hall...". Depictions of Tezcatlipoca, detail of the relief on the Tizoc stone, found in … Karl Taube and Mary Miller, specialists in Mesoamerican Studies, write that, "More than anything Tezcatlipoca appears to be the embodiment of change through conflict. Add a photo to this gallery. "[28] He would then be wed to four young women, also chosen in advance and isolated for a full year and treated as goddesses. 11-jun-2018 - Explora el tablero de Dis "Tezcatlipoca" en Pinterest. Christian missionaries perceived the tragic Quetzalcoatl as a Christ-figure. Group Membership: Aztec gods, Council of Godheads. One of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, he is associated with a wide range of concepts, including the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, divination, temptation, jaguars, sorcery, beauty, war, and strife. He is also said to have acted as the First Sun but was knocked from the sky by Quetzalcoatl and destroyed the world in ange… He spreads disorder and war, but he is also the origin of wealth. In the Aztec religion, Tezcatlipoca was an important god. Tez-ca-tli-po-ca) Nahuatl: “Smoking Mirror” god of the constellation of the Great Bear and the night sky, one of the main deities of the Aztec pantheon. Britannica now has a site just for parents! He was represented by the Ursa Major (Great Bear) constellation, which the Aztec saw as a jaguar. The color black is strongly associated with Tezcatlipoca and he is often portrayed as having horizontal bands across his face especially in black and yellow, but the many different codices vary on which two colors from site to site. [9] Although there are striking similarities between possible earlier imagery of Tezcatlipoca, archaeologists are split in the debate. 14-15. My bet is on Tezcatlipoca. As discussed above, Aztec folklore is rife with parallels, much of the time depicted in deities such as Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca is Lord of the Crossroads. The Tezcatlipoca figure goes back to earlier Mesoamerican deities worshipped by the Olmec and Maya. His name is translated as ‘smoking mirror’ in the Nahuatl language of the Aztec and he is often associated with several different concepts, including: the night sky, night winds, hurricanes, the north, jaguars, obsidian, and war. He was the protector of slaves and severely punished masters who ill-treated “Tezcatlipoca’s beloved children.” He rewarded virtue by bestowing riches and fame, and he chastised wrongdoers by sending them sickness (e.g., leprosy) or by reducing them to poverty and slavery. Tezcatlipoca was the … Codex Borgia/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain. Real Name: Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca is regarded by the Aztecs as the god of the night, king of witches and the patron god of Aztec kings and young warriors. He feuded with his brother Quetzalcoatl and emerged victorious after tricking his younger sibling into shaming himself. Each temple had a statue of the god for which copal incense was burned four times a day. [20] There were several smaller temples dedicated to Tezcatlipoca in the city, among them the ones called "Tlacochcalco" and "Huitznahuatl". He presides over the ancient magical art of nahualism, the complex, intense soul relationship between people and animal allies, characterized by transformation. But she was crushed by Tezcatlipoca's words who accused her of just pretending to be kind. Tezcatlipoca is a divine sorcerer. Tezcatlipoca was a significant god in Aztec religion. Tezcatlipoca was often described as a rival of another important god of the Aztecs, the culture hero, Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl replaced him and started the second age of the world and it became populated again. He presided over the telpochcalli (“young men’s houses”), district schools in which the sons of the common people received an elementary education and military training. Tezcatlipoca’s nagual, or animal disguise, was the jaguar, the spotted skin of which was compared to the starry sky. He was known as Black Tezcatlipoca or the “mirror that smokes”, god of the day and of Texcoco. [27] During the last 20 days before being sacrificed, the ixiptla had their appearance transformed back to that of a warrior. Like other Aztec deities, he could be both helpful and destructive. He was sometimes known as owner of the sky and the Earth, and Lord of the Smoking Mirror. Some of these are the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, divination, temptation, sorcery, beauty, war and strife. The character, based on the god of the same name from Aztec mythology, made his first appearance in "Daze of the Dead: The Numero Uno Edition" in 1998. 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