Huitzilopochtli

Huitzilopochtli was the Mexica god of war and the sun, patron deity of Tenochtitlan, and a recipient of human sacrifice.

Mexica: The Nahuatl-speaking people who founded Tenochtitlan and built the dominant power in central Mexico before Spanish conquest. Huitzilopochtli was the Mexica's patron deity and a central figure in their political identity.
Huitzilopochtli's birth: A Mexica myth in which Huitzilopochtli emerges fully armed to defeat his sister Coyolxauhqui and their brothers. The story presents divine combat as the origin of his authority and a model for ritual.
Aztlan: The legendary ancestral homeland from which the Mexica said their migration began. Mexica migration traditions place Huitzilopochtli among the divine guides of their departure.
Huitzilopochtli's shrine at Templo Mayor: The southern summit shrine of Tenochtitlan's Templo Mayor, dedicated to Huitzilopochtli. The shrine's location and ritual use materialized his role as the city's patron.
Tenochtitlan: The island capital of the Mexica Empire, founded in the Basin of Mexico in 1325. The city identified Huitzilopochtli as its patron and housed his principal temple.
Coyolxauhqui: The Mexica moon goddess who, in a major myth, leads an attack on her mother Coatlicue and is defeated by Huitzilopochtli. Her defeat makes the mythic conflict between Huitzilopochtli and celestial rivals explicit.
Mexica migration: The traditional journey of the Mexica from their ancestral homeland to the Basin of Mexico. Huitzilopochtli's commands and signs shaped the migration's sacred narrative.
Coyolxauhqui Stone: A monumental Mexica stone relief depicting Coyolxauhqui dismembered after her defeat by Huitzilopochtli. Placed at the Templo Mayor, it made the birth myth part of the temple's ritual setting.
Templo Mayor: The principal temple of Tenochtitlan, dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. Its paired shrines embodied Huitzilopochtli's place in the city's sacred center.
Tonatiuh: The sun deity in Mexica cosmology, associated with the current era of the world. Huitzilopochtli's solar identity was closely associated with Tonatiuh and the sun's movement.

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