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| In the background Coatlicue ("The Mother of Gods") for tomorrow. |
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| Sunday at The National Museum of Anthropology (Material for the next days) |
In Aztec mythology, Xiuhtecuhtli ("Turquoise Lord"
or "Lord of Fire"), was the god of fire, day and heat. He
was the lord of volcanoes, the personification of life after death, warmth in
cold (fire),
light in darkness and food during famine. He was also
named Cuezaltzin ("flame") and Ixcozauhqui , and
is sometimes considered to be the same as Huehueteotl ("Old
God"), although Xiuhtecuhtli is usually shown as a young deity. His wife
was Chalchiuhtlicue. Xiuhtecuhtli is sometimes considered
to be a manifestation of Ometecuhtli, the Lord of Duality, and according
to the Florentine Codex Xiuhtecuhtli was
considered to be mother and father of the Gods, who dwelled in the turquoise
enclosure in the center of earth.
The Nahuatl word xiuhuitl means
"year" as well as "turquoise" and "fire", and
Xiuhtecatl was also the god of the year and of time. In the 260-day
ritual calendar, the deity was the patron of the
day Atl ("Water") and with the trecena 1
Coatl ("1 Snake"). Xiuhtecuhtli was also one of the nine Lords of the Night and ruled the first
hour of the night, named Cipactli ("Alligator"). Xiuhtecuhtli was
the patron god of the Aztec emperors, who were regarded as his living
embodiment at their enthronement. The deity was also one of the patron gods of
the pochteca merchant
class.
Stone
sculptures of Xiuhtecuhtli were ritually buried as offerings, and various
statuettes have been recovered during excavations at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan with
which he was closely associated. Statuettes of the deity from the temple depict
a seated male with his arms crossed. A sacred fire was always kept burning in
the temples of Xiuhtecuhtli. In gratitude for the gift of fire, the first
mouthful of food from each meal was flung into the hearth. [Wiki]
