Tēcciztēcatl

deity sky Aztec single tradition · 5

Tēcciztēcatl is chosen to serve as the Sun because he is wealthy and strong, but ultimately lacks the courage to sacrifice himself in fire. He is later thrown a rabbit in the face and becomes the moon.

↻ synthesized from 5 sources

When

First attested
1300 CE
Attested period
1300 – 1600
Historical notes
Documented by Bernardino de Sahagún.

Relationships

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

Source passages

“Two gods are chosen: Tēcciztēcatl and Nanāhuātzin. The former is chosen to serve as the Sun because he is wealthy and strong, while the latter will serve as the Moon because he is poor and ill. Tēcciztēcatl, who is proud, sees his impending sacrifice and transformation as an opportunity to gain immortality.”

#16981 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Metztli, Coyolxauhqui and Tēcciztēcatl are all lunar deities in the Aztec religion.”

#18311 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001