Five Aztec Creations

There had been many creations (suns). In the first, the Sun of Jaguar, the gods made a race of giants. They lived in caves, but when they proved incapable of tilling the land, the gods decided to destroy them and start the task anew. So they sent jaguars to eat the giants. Next, in the Sun of Wind, they created normal-sized people and placed them on the surface of the earth; but as time passed the people gradually became less civilised and frequently failed to honur their creators. The gods sent a fierce wind to blow them away, and transformed the survivors, who managed to cling to the trees, into monkeys. In the third creation attempt, the Sun of Fire-Rain, the people the gods created knew how to till the land, but they paid too little attention to it, especially when drought plagued their crops. Disgusted by the behavior of those they had worked so hard to create, the gods caused the volcanoes to erupt, sending down a rain of fire to do away with them. Those who escaped the flames were turned into birds. Then came the fourth sun - the Sun of Water. Unfortunately its people were too selfish, so they too needed to be done away with - this time by a flood from torrential downpours sent by the gods. The survivors were turned into fish.

Pic 1: Aztec Calendar Stone. William H. Jackson. 8x10” glass plate negative, c. 1880. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. LC-D4-3162

The one named Tecuciztecatl (Tecciztecatl), the proud and pretentious Lord of the Snails, responded immediately: “I shall be the one!” Anyone else?, inquired the gods. No one stepped forward. To make it a competition, the gods decided to choose another among them. Surprisingly, they singled out a little-known, pimply-faced one, so-named Nanauatzin, who quietly stood listening at the side; he was among the humblest of all the gods. “Thou shalt be the one!,” said the gods in unison. Nanauatzin immediately responded, “I heartily accept. You have always been good to me.”

Pic 3: ‘The one named Tecuciztecatl responded immediately: “I shall be the one!”’

At midnight ending the fourth day, the sacrificants were given their adornments: for Tecuciztecatl a forked heron head-dress and sleeveless jacket, and for Nanauatzin a headdress, stole, and loincloth - all fashioned out of plain paper. Next the gods arranged themselves in a double line at the centre of Teotihuacan. They set Tecuciztecatl and Nanauatzin in the centre, facing the blazing hearth surrounding them. Then they spoke in unison to Tecuciztecatl: “Take courage, Tecuciztecatl - cast thyself into the fire!” So charged, he ran forward to hurl himself into the flames. Soon the intense heat began to reach him; it was insufferable, intolerable, unbearable. It practically melted his skin. The closer he drew, the higher the flames flared. Tecuciztecatl became terrified; he halted in fear, turned around, and retreated. He screwed up enough courage to give it another try. But a second time he was compelled to leap back. A third try and a fourth - all failed. Tecuciztecatl was defeated. He slunk away in disgrace.

Pic 5: ‘Tecuciztecatl became terrified; he halted in fear, turned around, and retreated.’

Then there began the reddening of the dawn in all directions. The gods fell upon their knees to await where he who had become the sun would come to rise. In all directions they looked; everywhere they peered and kept turning about. Some thought that it would be from the north, so they looked that way; some did the same to the west; some to the south; and some to the east. They were seeing light everywhere, so maybe he would rise in all directions? But true were the words of those who looked east -Quetzalcoatl (Learning), Ehecatl (Wind), and the others who were destined to become the gods of the Aztec ancestors, there at Teotihuacan - saying, “There in that place, the sun will come to rise.”
When the sun finally burst forth, he appeared red; he kept swaying unsteadily from side to side. It was impossible to look into his face; he blinded one with his light, so intensely did he shine. He issued rays of light from himself in all directions; his brilliant rays penetrated everywhere.

Pic 7: ‘When the sun finally burst forth, he issued rays of light from himself in all directions; his brilliant rays penetrated everywhere’

Then Ehecatl, God of Wind, came forward. He exerted himself fiercely and violently as he blew. Slowly the sun began to move and go on his way. Ehecatl blew fiercely a second time and by the time the sun had reached the opposite horizon, the moon too began to move, but at a different rate. So the two passed each other and went on their way. Thus the sun comes forth once and spends the whole day in his work; and the full moon undertakes the night’s task. From this it seems that the moon, Tecuciztecatl, could have been the sun if he had been first to cast himself into the fire. After all, he had presented himself first and all his offerings had been costly in the penances. But alas, he failed to act at his most crucial moment.
And when thus their work was done, the gods said: “Let it be that through us the sun may always be revived. Now let all of us die.” So today we offer sacrifice to the gods in debt payment for creating the Sun of Movement. It all happened there in Teotihuacan. Here ends the legend, which was told in times past, and has ever since resided in the keeping of the old people.

Pic 9: ‘Thus the sun comes forth once and spends the whole day in his work; and the full moon undertakes the night’s task’