The two faces of the Aztec God of Death

Dr. Leonardo López Luján

Senior Researcher and Professor

Museo del Templo Mayor, INAH, Mexico City

 The complex pre-Hispanic conceptions of death and the otherworld make any simplistic vision impossible. Numerous studies of indigenous thought reveal elaborate eschatology, as well as gods of death with contradictory traits. Even some divine functions may seem paradoxical from our western perspective. To illustrate this notion, gods of the underworld display a terrifying side in Central Mexico codices, where they appear in scenes of death, sacrifice, and destruction. Surprisingly enough, in other images from the same documents, these skeletal beings can also be imbued with creative functions, both in the cycle of vegetation, as well as in the conception and birth of human beings.

The lecture focuses precisely on this dual aspect of the God of Death. My reflections are based on the discovery of two exceptional images of Mictlantecuhtli in the ruins of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire. Given the enormous importance of this finding in downtown Mexico City, I will refer to it in certain detail in the first section. Building on this foundation, I will discuss the indigenous vision of Mictlan as an evil-smelling place of decomposition, related to sexuality, the feminine principle, passion, and growth.