Meso-American Beliefs

Meso-American religion involves a variety of beliefs and rituals of the people of Central America and Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s C.E. The beliefs of the ancient Meso-American religious traditions were focused around an annual calendar that had an accompanying ritual cycle. This calendar was associated with various Meso-American deities, often representing different aspects of the cosmos including a creator god, a god of war, a sun god, a fire god, etc. Various beliefs were practiced by the ancient Meso-American peoples that included diverse forms and levels of the afterlife, with each containing its own deity. Religious rituals and practices were typically governed by priests that had been educated in astronomy and

In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca developed the fifth world and as part of their creation they placed Mictlantecuhtli and his wife, Mictecacihuatl, in the underworld. In order to create human life the twin gods Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl were sent to the underworld to steal the bones of the previous generation of gods from the fourth world. Mictlantecuhtli sought to ruin Quetzalcoatl's escape by having a pit placed in the path of the exit of the underworld. Quetzalcoatl fell into the pit forcing him to drop the bones, scattering and breaking them in the fall. However, Quetzalcoatl escaped the pit with the shattered bones and carried them back to the land of the living. It is there where Quetzalcoatl placed his own blood upon the bones and the gods transformed them into the various races of humans. Because of this popular myth, many Aztecs feared the violence of Mictlantecuhtli. Aztecs believed in various paradises in which they could gain entry, each different depending upon the matter in which they died. Those who did not gain entry to a paradise were forced to undergo a “four-year journey through the nine hells of Mictlan.” Once the treacherous journey was completed, they reached the judgement of Mictlantecuhtli and remained in the underworld for eternity. Mictlantecuhtli is usually depicted as a blood-spattered

In Aztec religion, Tlaloc ruled in the heavens in the fourth layer of the upper world. The area in which he ruled was called Tlalocan, described as a “water-filled paradise of lush green plants.” Tlalocan was known as the destination in the afterlife for those who died violently by water, such as drowning, lightning, or water-borne diseases. As with Aztec religion, in order for entry into Tlalocan you were to be buried, not cremated. Tlaloc would then bestow upon the dead a blissful and eternal life in his paradise. Although greatly admired, Tlaloc was also deeply feared. It is believed that the cries and tears of children were pure and precious, therefore in order to produce rain, Tlaloc required children to be sacrificed. However, during the sacrifice the child would have to be crying at the time of death or rain could not be created. Tlaloc was known to have four jugs of water in his possession in which he would pour the contents onto earth. The first jug brought life to plants, the second would cause blight, the third would bring frost, and the fourth would bring total destruction. Tlaloc is usually depicted with goggle-eyes and jaguar fangs. His skin is tinted blue and he is typically wearing a net of clouds and a crown of heron feathers. In his hand, he can be seen carrying rattlers, or a rattle snake, that he used to bring about thunder. Comparable to Tlaloc is the Hindu god Varuna