The Obituary
Tezcatlipoca, the “smoking mirror,” was an omnipotent Aztec god of the night sky, sorcery, rulership, and destiny, taking the jaguar as his nagual and reading the thoughts of all people in his obsidian mirror. Myth recounts that the earth-monster Cipactli bit off his foot during the world’s creation. His most striking rite, the feast of Toxcatl, dedicated a perfect young man as his living image for a year of luxury before sacrifice. His worship ended abruptly with the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan in 1521.
Worth remembering
- His foot was bitten off by the earth-monster Cipactli; he is often shown with an obsidian mirror in its place.
- Each year a flawless youth impersonated him for twelve months, then was sacrificed at the feast of Toxcatl.
Gallery
Sources
- Tezcatlipoca was a central Aztec god of the night sky, sorcery, and destiny Wikipedia
- His feast Toxcatl involved a chosen impersonator sacrificed after a year of honors Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Tezcatlipoca was considered the supreme god of the Aztec pantheon — patron of warriors and the embodiment of change through conflict — and was associated with the jaguar as his nagual; his impersonator-victim was treated like royalty for one year before sacrifice at Toxcatl. World History Encyclopedia
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.