For those who have read about the Aztec gods and want more, we have compiled information related to those deities related to the underworld, because for the ancient Mexica, death was very important and was present in many areas.

Aztec mythological gods

1. Tlaltecuhtli
2. Mictlantecuhtli
3. Huitzilopochtli

Ancient Mexican Gods

One of the most important gods of the Aztec culture was the goddess Tlaltecuhtli, a deity related to the earth, with the cycle of life and death, but above all she was known as a devourer of corpses. This goddess was represented as a kind of reptilian monster with multiple joints, an aspect that provoked awe.

In addition, in all these joints different eyes and mouths could be observed, sharp teeth like fangs, for which it is believed that it received its name of devourer. It was two gods who were in charge of killing her, splitting her in half and thus provoking the creation of the world. The goddess, broken with pain, asked for blood to appease it and sacrifices were offered to her.

We continue with the god of death Mictlantecuhtli, husband of Mictecacihuatl. He has been represented as a deity covered with bones. It is believed that this was the god who took the lives of humans, and then they came to his world to live in it for eternity. He lived in the Mictlan, also known as the place of the dead or the underworld.

This underworld was more complex than what is really believed, since it is attributed with 9 different levels through which the souls of the deceased who have died naturally have to pass. This entire journey was full of trials and obstacles that took at least 4 years to overcome until they reached the gods of death. There his soul could rest at last.

The first of the levels is the Apanoayan, followed by the Tepeme Monamictia, Iztepetl, Cehueloyan, Itzehecáyan, Teocoylehualoyan, Apanhuiayo, Chiconauapan and finally the true Mictlán.

In addition to the Mictlan, reserved for all those who died of natural causes, there are three other underworlds reserved for those who die for other reasons. For example, the Chichihualcuaho was the place where the unborn would go.

We can also find in the Mexica mythology the Tlalocan, inhabited by the god Tlaloc, territory for those who died in some way related to water. There is also the Tonatiuhichan, a wasteland reserved for warriors killed in battle, those killed or those women who had died in childbirth.

The son of Coatlicue, another of the gods that we will relate to death, is the important Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and god of the sun. This was the beneficiary of human sacrifices, since they strengthened the god and he would benefit the warriors in combat. The particularity of these sacrifices was that the bodies were flayed and the heart (the most coveted part) was extracted.