Twinn Swan

A solar deity takes centre stage in creation myths all over the world. According to the Aztecs, the world that they were inhabiting at the time of Spanish colonisation was the fifth era of a cycle of creation and destruction. They believed that the world had been created and destroyed four times before.

In Aztec and other Nahua creation myths, it was believed that the universe had gone through four iterations before the current one, and each of these prior worlds had been destroyed by gods due to the behaviour of its inhabitants.

At the end of each 52 year cycle, Aztec priests carried out the New Fire Ceremony. On the very last day of the calendar cycle, priests would climb the Star Mountain and watch the rise of the Pleiades to ensure it followed its normal path. According to the Spanish chronicler Bernardo Sahagun, the New Fire ceremony was conducted every 52 years in villages throughout the Aztec world.

The Self-Sacrifice

In the beginning, it was dark. The gods decided that someone needed to become the sun to light up the world. The very first sun was Tezcatlipoca, but his light was weak. Since his light was weak, the other gods knocked him down. Quetzalcoatl was the second sun. But when he became upset, he destroyed the whole world in a hurricane. The third sun was Tialoc, but when his wife was seduced by another god, he became so angry that he destroyed the world in fire. The fourth sun was Chalchiuhtlicue, but she was mistreated and so she cried blood and destroyed the world in a flood.

When the time came to choose the fifth sun, the gods decided that the only way to make a sun that was strong enough was for someone to sacrifice their own life in fire. In the end, they choose the beautiful, wealthy and strong Tecciztecatl to become the sun. The gods then chose the ill, poor and weak Nanahuatzin to become the moon.

The proud Tecciztecatl saw the sacrifice as a way to boost his own ego. As such, he made offerings of coral and other expensive gifts. The humble Nanahuatzin saw the performance of the sacrifice as a matter of duty so he made offerings of his own blood and performed acts of penance.

The gods created a large bonfire on a high platform from where the two deities could jump into the flames. They summoned Tecciztecatl and Nanahuatzin. First, the gods asked Tecciztecatl to immolate himself. At the very last moment, however, he grew frightened of the flames. He tried and tried to make the leap, but his courage had deserted him and so he cowered away.

Nanahuatzin, however, was not deterred. He calmly stepped up and threw himself into the fire. Embarrassed to be upstaged by the weaker Nanahuatzin, Tecciztecatl jumped in immediately after him. Shortly thereafter, two suns were seen flying into the dark sky.

The gods were disappointed with Tecciztecatl’s last minute display of fear. One of the gods then took a rabbit and threw it in Tecciztecatl’s face. Tecciztecatl’s face dimmed and he took his place as the moon.

Nanahuatzin, who had the courage to willingly make the sacrifice, flew up high and glowed with such strength and brilliance that the world began to parch and burn.

In order to remedy and rectify the situation, the gods created the winds to move through the sky and create night and day.