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18. Morals in Famine
19. Aztec Poetry
21. Modern Values
22. References
The Five Suns is an Aztec creation myth that explained the origin of life, the Sun, the Earth, and the Universe. One of the first physical copies of the story is in the Codex Borgia, created in the sixteenth century, though it would have been passed down verbally long before that. The story also explains why human sacrifice is important to the Aztec people. I’ve also added information in relation to how one would act ethically when faced with particular problems. The first is a problem of state: What does a moral king do in order to alleviate a severe drought threatening the very existence of the Aztec Nation temporarily entrusted to his care? The second was a problem of family: What does a moral Aztec royal parent do in order to raise children who will become responsible and willing participants in and leaders of that ultimately doomed nation of the Fifth Sun.
The Earth was created but without light life could not grow. To give light, they needed a god to become the sun and the Black Tezcatlipoca was chosen, but either because he had lost a leg or because he was god of the night, he only managed to become half a sun. The world continued on in this way for some time, but a sibling rivalry grew between Quetzalcoatl and his brother the mighty sun, who Quetzalcoatl knocked from the sky with a stone club. With no sun, the world was totally black and in his anger, Tezcatlipoca commanded his jaguars to eat all the people.
The gods created humans who were of normal stature, with Quetzalcoatl serving as the sun for the new civilization, as an attempt to bring balance to the world, but their attempts ultimately failed as humans began to drift away from the beliefs and teachings of the gods and instead embraced greed and corruption. As a consequence, Tezcatlipoca showcased his dominance and strength as a god of magic and justice by transforming the human-like people into monkeys. Quetzalcoatl, who had held the flawed people in great regard, was greatly distressed and sent away the monkeys with a powerful hurricane.
Tlaloc was crowned the new sun, but Tezcatlipoca, the mischievous god, tricked and deceived him, snatching away the love of his life, Xochiquetzal. Tlaloc had become so consumed by his own grief and sorrow that he was no longer able to fulfil his duties as the sun; therefore, a great drought befell the people of the world. People desperately prayed for rain and begged for mercy, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. In a fit of rage, Tlaloc unleashed a rain of fire upon the earth, completely destroying it and leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.
The next sun and also Tlaloc’s new wife, was Chalchiuhtlicue. She was very loving towards the people of earth, but Tezcatlipoca was not. Both the people and Chalchiuhtlicue felt his judgement when he told the water goddess that she was not truly loving and only faked kindness out of selfishness to gain the people’s praise. Chalchiuhtlicue was so crushed by these words that she cried blood for the next fifty-two years, causing a horrific flood that drowned everyone on Earth. Humans became fish in order to survive.
The gods convened in darkness to choose a new sun, who was to sacrifice himself by jumping into a gigantic bonfire. The two volunteers were the young son of Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue, Tecuciztecatl, and the old Nanauatzin. It was believed that Nanauatzin was too old to make a good sun, but both were given the opportunity to jump into the bonfire. Tecuciztecatl tried first but was not brave enough to walk through the heat near the flames and turned around. Nanauatzin then walked slowly towards and then into the flames and was consumed. Tecuciztecatl then followed. The braver Nanauatzin became what is now the sun and Tecuciztecatl became the much less spectacular moon. Although the new sun had now been created, it would not move and so all of the gods decided that they would sacrifice themselves so that the sun and moon would move across the sky.
The sacrifice of the gods made life in this fifth creation possible. We have a choice today. We may follow their examples and give up ourselves for the continued existence of this sun of this age of movement or we can ignore their sacrifices and this creation, too, will end.
Other minor gods in the Aztec Pantheon include Tlaloc, god of the rain. Chalchulicue, goddess of the rivers and waterways. Nanahuatzin, the most humble of the gods, he would become the Fifth sun. Tecuciztecatl, the son of Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue, who was given the first chance to jump into the fire and become the sun but hesitated. He was known as the rich prideful one before becoming the Moon. Huitzilopochtli, whose name means ‘resuscitated warrior of the south’ is one of the four Tezcatlipocas , god of the south and war. He can be seen represented as an Eagle. Another one of the Tezcatlipocas is Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca of the East. He was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, spring, goldsmiths, and much more. Xolotl was a god of fire and lightning. He was commonly depicted as a dog-headed man. He was the only God who ran in fear at the idea of being Sacrificed for the good of humans, he feared death.
Quetzalcóatl, Mayan name Kukulcán, (from Nahuatl Quetzalli, “tail feather of the Quetzal bird [Pharomachrus Mocinno],” and Coatl, “snake”), the Feathered Serpent, one of the major deities of the ancient Mexican pantheon. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the Teotihuacán civilization (3rd to 8th century CE) on the central plateau. At that time Quetzalcóatl seems to have been conceived as a vegetation god—an earth and water deity closely associated with the rain god Tlaloc.
Tezcatlipoca, (Nahuatl: “Smoking Mirror”) god of the Great Bear constellation and of the night sky, one of the major deities of the Aztec pantheon. Tezcatlipoca’s cult was brought to central Mexico by the Toltecs, Nahua - speaking warriors from the north, about the end of the 10th century CE. Numerous myths relate how Tezcatlipoca expelled the priest-king Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent, from the latter’s centre at Tula.
The moral of this story can be seen at the very end. The Aztec gods choose to sacrifice themselves so that the humans of earth would have a chance at life. Without this sacrifice human life wouldn’t be possible. But this sacrifice was not free, the Aztecs believed that it important to honour the gods, and the sun, for their sacrifice. They saw the sun as a living body, Like a living body, that cosmic beast of the Fifth Sun must be fed if its life were to continue. Yet, that desired continuance of the fifth sun was never promised. It was even guaranteed to end. Sacrifice, as a moral act which might continue life, would be rewarded with insufferable destruction if it were not performed. But there appears to have been no guarantee that it would be rewarded with continued good life if it were performed. In other words, suffering just is, and, while it behooves one to be moral, that act alone cannot promise to fend off the amoral human condition.
Aztec morals could also be seen in there law, for example, it is interesting to note that the crimes demanding the most extreme manner of sacrifice - that of death - were those of theft, adultery, drunkenness, and poor artistry.
What’s really important to understand when looking at this myth and its morals (human sacrifice) is that to the people that followed this moral compass did not view these stories as a myth but as religion and fact. Much like a modern Christian believes that Christ could walk on water, they believed that these gods truly existed and that they truly gave up their lives so that humans could thrive. Giving their own lives wasn’t only considered something one must do but a privilege, to die in the name something so much greater than yourself. And what is one life in the name of an entire society? An entire planet? An entire universe? Who are we to judge? Would you sacrifice your life in the name of billions of others? Would it be selfish to not do so?
Parents were given the task of training individuals who could become responsible and willing participants in and leaders of the community in that painful and temporary Fifth Age (the age of the fifth sun).
“Thereisnoplaceofwell-beingonearth,thereisno happiness,nopleasure.Theysaythatearthistheplaceof painfulpleasure,ofgrievoushappiness”
“Wearestillhere,weyourparents,itisstillourtime,not yethascomethestickandthestoneofOurLord.Weare notdead,wehavenotperished...Butasforyou,donotput intomotionthestickandthestoneagainstyourself.Donot causethemtocomeagainstyou...Letnotyourcountenance becomeproud...BeandactaccordingtowhatOurLord wishesforyou”
- Ruler of Tenochtitlan
(Translated by Miguel Leon-Portilla)
If people were not getting enough to eat, it seemed reasonable that Huitzilopotchli was not getting enough either. The best way to provide more food for the universe would seem to be to follow the paradigm of “taking” by establishing organized wars aimed solely at the capture of those sacrificial meals, for the instituting of such wars might maintain the balance of sacrifices between the human and divine realms.
Nowhere is there a suggestion that the leaders should despair or take a hedonistic approach in the face of a hopeless situation. Always the king is reminded of his duty, his obedience to god, and the necessity to put aside his own desires in order to help that community and universe with which he was totally integrated.
Some rulers and other significcant speaker were viewed to have traits connortations similar to gods. However, while gods could take specific actions of their own will in the past, these people could make real life decisions that affected the people around them. Tenochtitlan appeared to embody war and destruction, while Texcoco appeared to embody art and creation. One seemed the city of the Five Ages, the other the city of Tamoanchan. Tlacaellel was known as a great commander and strategist in war, and was associated with both the burning of the Aztec history books and the reification of the deity Huitzilipochtli. Nezahualcoyotl was known as a great poet, engineer, maker, and enforcer of a just law, and was credited with the build- ing of irrigation ditches, dikes, and causeways as well as with the reification of the deity Tlaloque Nahuaque, sometimes called the Lord of the Near and the Nigh, or the Dual Creator.
“This is the mission of Huitzilopotchli, our God, for this was he come: to collect and thus to bring to his service all nations, with the power of his breast and of his head
- Tlacaellel, 1400-1489, Snake woman of Tenochtitlan
“With flowers You write, O Giver of Life. With songs You give color, with songs You shade those who must live on earth.”
- Nezahualcóyotl, 1402-1472, Poet-King of Texcoco
In a world without Communism or Capitalism, Christianity or Atheism what is a person to think? What should a person care about? Human sacrifice seems a brash and crude religious practice, it might be considered a waste of life. Doing such an act in most modern civilisations would get you locked in prison at the very least. So how is it that a person could have done this (practically daily and without second thought) when it is now considered so unspeakable. Not Only did these people believe that they were being sacrificed for the good of the gods but also the good of the people, for if the gods are not satisfied then human life will end. Being that their civilisation focused so much on the good of the people rather than the self this becomes more understandable.
Modern America however seems to have to be a perfect contrast of this. The rich make choices that are negative for both the plane and the people, however, this is considered acceptable because the one making the choices is acting based on their own personal gain.
- Read, K. A. (1986). The Fleeting Moment: Cosmogony, Eschatology, and Ethics in Aztec Religion and Society. The Journal of Religious Ethics, 14(1), 113–138. http://www.jstor.org/ stable/40015027
- Aguilar-Moreno, M. (2006). Handbook to Life in the Aztec World. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
- Baquedano, E. (Ed.). (2014). Tezcatlipoca: Trickster and Supreme Deity. University Press of Colorado. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt128807j
- Patricia Amlin (Producer), & Amlin, P. (Director). (1996). The Five Suns: A Sacred History of Mexico. [Video/DVD] Berkeley Media. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/ the-five-suns-a-sacred-history-of-mexico
- Wikipedia contributors. (2023, March 16). Five Suns. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:32, April 2, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Five_ Suns&oldid=1144916250
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June 2023
“We have a choice today. We may follow their examples and give up ourselves for the continued existence of this sun of this age of movement or we can ignore their sacrifices and this creation, too, will end.”
