Aztec EmpireAlliance of three Nahua city states in Mexico (1428–1521)Today part ofMexicoFull list of monarchs near bottom of page.The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (Classical Nahuatl: Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, ) or historiographically as the Tenochca Empire but most accurately known as the Mexica, was an alliance of three Nahuacity-states: Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan.
TlálocTláloc (Classical Nahuatl: Tláloc) is the god of rain in Aztec religion. He was also a deity of earthly fertility and water, and worshipped as a giver of life and sustenance; many rituals and sacrifices predicated upon these aspects were held in his name. He was feared—albeit not as a malicious figure—for his power over hail, thunder, lightning, and rain.
HuītzilōpōchtliHuitzilopochtli (Classical Nahuatl: Huītzilōpōchtli, IPA: [wiːt͡siloːˈpoːt͡ʃt͡ɬi] ) is the solar and war deity of sacrifice in Aztec religion. He was also the patron god of the Aztecs and their capital city, Tenochtitlan. He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire. The Spaniards recorded the deity's name as Huichilobos.
AztecsThe Aztecs ( AZ-teks) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico from about 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those who spoke Nahuatl. Aztec culture was organized into city-states (altepetl), some of which joined to form alliances, political confederations, or empires.TeotlTeōtl ([ˈte.oːt͡ɬ]) is a Nahuatl term for sacredness or divinity that is sometimes translated as 'god'. For the Aztecs teotl was the metaphysical omnipresence upon which their religious philosophy was based. As described by James Maffie, teotl "is essentially power: continually active, actualized, and actualizing energy-in-motion... It is an ever-continuing process, like a flowing river...
PolytheismWorship of or belief in multiple deities
State religionReligion or creed endorsed by the stateConfessional states Buddhism Christianity (unspecified) Protestantism Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Islam (unspecified) Sunni Islam Shia Islam (Twelver)A state religion (also called official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as a confessional state), while not a secular state, is not necessarily a theocracy.
MesoamericaPre-Columbian cultural area in the AmericasCultural areas of MesoamericaMesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area comprising the modern day lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, western Honduras, and the Greater Nicoya region of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. As a cultural area, Mesoamerica is defined by a mosaic of cultural traits developed and shared by its indigenous cultures.
Templo MayorThe Templo Mayor (from Spanish: 'Main Temple') was the main temple of the Mexica people in their capital city of Tenōchtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. The temple was called Huēyi Teōcalli in the Nahuatl language, meaning 'great church' or 'great house of god'.
SyncretismSyncretism () is the combining or merging of various distinct beliefs or schools of thought, particularly religious ones. For instance, features and components of one religion are incorporated and absorbed into another. It can include assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in theology and mythology, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to multiple faiths.
ŌmeteōtlŌmeteōtl (Nahuatl pronunciation: [oːmeˈteoːt͡ɬ] ) ("Two-God") is a name used to refer to the pair of Aztec deities Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, also known as Tōnacātēcuhtli and Tonacacihuatl. Ōme translates as "two" or "dual" in Nahuatl and teōtl translates as "Divinity". Ometeotl was one as the first divinity, and Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl when the being became two to be able to reproduce all creation.PantheismBelief that God and reality are identical*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.