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An Aztec Bestiary
The real Ahuizotl was an Aztec emperor who reigned from 1486 to 1502, his regime with quite a despotic streak. His insignia bore a mythical creature that resembled a dog with a long tail ending in a human hand. The beast was believed to live in a lake, where it imitated human cries to bring would-be rescuers. The rescuer would be grabbed by the hand, drowned, and resurfaced three days hence without eyes, teeth or fingernails. The monster was so horrible that even seeing it would cause one to die of fright. NMAH
Macuilxochitl, or Five Flower, was a vegetation god related to Xochipilli, and more specifically a festive god of songs, dances and games. Gamblers would cite Five Flower's name upon casting dice to ensure the roll value of a 5. In this stone sculpture Macuilxochitl has a human head and hands that emerge from a turtle's shell. NMAH
Seven Serpent, or Chicomecoatl, empowered the corn to ripen until it was ready to harvest. This agricultural goddess was especially invoked during periods of frost, when the crops appeared threatened and hunger was feared. Maize being one of the staple foods of Mesoamerica, it was venerated as a deity for each of its life cycle phases. The name also corresponds to a day-sign in the ritual calendar, to emphasize the presence of the deities within ritual and mundane time, so too for the intoxication deity Two Rabbit. NMAH
The fire serpent, or xiuhcoatl, is a cosmic being in the sense that it symbolizes so many aspects of the heavens. The fire on its back represents the new fires burning from the heat of the older flames, now dying to give way to the new fire. The small dots lined around its belly are the stars of the Milky Way. Tezcatlipoca often assumed the form of one of these creatures, including a time when he and the Feathered Serpent parted the heavens and the earth. Because Tezcatlipoca's face does emerge from this serpentine body, the figure here is more appropriately termed a Tezcacoatl. NMAH
This is a close-up of an enormous xiuhcoatl head. Here, as on the Sun Stone, the serpent's upturned nose is lined with seven half-shut eyes. The condition of the eyes suggests motion, as if they were blinking. The seven blinking eyes were understood as the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters near the Taurus constellation. That stellar group followed a path which passed over the zenith above an extinct volcano every 52 years; the Aztecs used this as the marker for the xiuhmolpilli, when they anticipated the destruction of the sun and the earth. NMAH
I know, "a FLEA?!" But look at the simian/human face on it. Zoomorphic works by the Aztecs were frequently idealized combinations of two or more animals. Since the animals themselves embodied certain qualities or concepts, it seems certain that these chimeric beasts were meant to combine those concepts in a more tangible form that they could understand through their art. This reminds me of an Aztec stone piece at the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts - the body and paws of a cat with an armadillo's shell! NMAH
This cricket, carved from a red stone, is well-known because it breaks convention and presents a simple, natural insect. The solid color and smooth texture brought out from the stone also give this piece its own distinction. NMAH
This low relief comes from the side of a cubic stone piece, whose four horizontal sides each feature a different nocturnal creature. The legend of Yappan tells of a man who pledged a life of celibacy, only to break his vow by the deception of the Enemy god Yaotl. In retribution, the gods had transformed Yappan into a scorpion that still hides its shame by crawling under rocks. Yaotl had been transformed into a cricket, and to this day the scorpion still chases the latter for revenge. NMAH
The standing (or dancing?) jaguar in this relief is much like the kind of jaguar images found at Chichén Itzá. Even when their kingdom no longer existed, the memory of the Toltecs was highly influential in the formation of the great post-Classic powers, from Chichén Itzá to Tenochtitlan. Even the first Aztec kings, hoping to claim legitimacy to rule, sought to marry princesses from the neighboring tribes that had the strongest claim to the Toltec legacy. NMAH