The Obituary
Huitzilopochtli, the “hummingbird of the south,” was the Aztec god of war and the sun and patron of the Mexica people. Born fully armed from the goddess Coatlicue, he slew his rebellious sister Coyolxauhqui and the four hundred southern stars. He guided the Mexica to found Tenochtitlan where an eagle perched on a cactus, and his hunger for human hearts justified relentless warfare to feed the sun. His shrine crowned the Templo Mayor until the Spanish conquest in 1521 ended his worship.
Worth remembering
- Born fully armed, he slew his sister Coyolxauhqui and his 400 brothers, casting her head into the sky as the moon.
- He led the Mexica to Tenochtitlan, marked by an eagle on a cactus, and required human hearts to fuel the sun's journey.
Sources
- Huitzilopochtli was the Aztec god of war and the sun, patron of the Mexica Wikipedia
- His main shrine crowned the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan Encyclopaedia Britannica
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.