The Teotihuacan gods Formed the pantheon of this Mesoamerican culture that flourished in the city of Teotihuacán, in the present Valley of Mexico. This town is located just 40 kilometers from Mexico City and currently represents one of the main archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian era.
In its heyday, the city of Teotihuacán was the main one in the pre-Hispanic America. Its maximum population is estimated at at least 125 thousand inhabitants, which would place it as the sixth most populated city in the world during its apogee.
In addition to its known pyramids, the anthropological importance of Teotihuacán resides in its residential complexes. Some of its pictorial murals are still preserved in very good condition. He also contributed with the export of tools made with obsidian stone, which were used throughout Mesoamerica.
Archaeological research has shown that Teotihuacán was a multi-ethnic city, occupied by delimited neighborhoods inhabited by people from the Otomí, Zapoteca, Mixteca, Maya and Nahua cultures.
As for their religious practices, it is known that the Teotihuacans made human sacrifices. Human and animal remains have been found during excavations near the archaeological site. Some researchers believe that such sacrifices were offered during the construction or expansion of new buildings.
Masks have also been found, which are thought to have been used for funeral purposes.
You may also like This list of Aztec gods .
The 9 most outstanding Teotihuacan deities
1- God of the Storm
The worship of natural phenomena and the personification of them by means of deities was a constant in Mesoamerica.
The Teotihuacanos had a god of the rain, that possibly was originated by the Mayan God, Chaac. In Aztec culture, this effigy was Tlaloc, the god of rain. In the archaeological site of Teotihuacán an underground altar dedicated to this god was found.
2- The Great Goddess of Teotihuacan
This goddess has two main characteristics: a headdress imitating a bird and a slope in the nose with descending tusks.
In murals and pictorial remains also the red and yellow colors in their representation stand out. It is believed that this Great Goddess was the representative of the underworld, darkness, earth, water, war and possibly the very creation of the universe.
3- The Feathered Serpent
In Teotihuacán you can find a temple dedicated to the Feathered Serpent, which was estimated to have been built between 150 and 200 AD. In it appear multiple representations of the snake, some of whole body and others of its head.
The Feathered Serpent was a constant in the mythology of several Mesoamerican cultures. It was known as Quetzalcoatl in the Aztec culture and as Kukulkan in the Maya.
4- Huehuetéotl, the Old God of Fire
It is one of the oldest deities of Mesoamerica. It began to be worshiped long before the foundation of Teotihuacan. He was regularly represented in a pose with crossed legs, with his arms and hands resting on his legs. His wrinkled face showed the advanced of his age. It is thought that Huehuetéotl was a protector god of the homes.
5- The Warrior Serpent
Some researchers distinguish this Warrior Serpent from the Feathered Serpent in some graphic vestiges of Teotihuacan culture, as it can be found wearing a headdress that identifies with war in the mythology of this culture.
6- The jaguar
In the archaeological site of Teotihuacán, behind the temple of Quetzalpapalotl, the feathered butterfly, is the courtyard of the jaguars. In it you can find several murals illustrated with this animal.
Some of these jaguars wear headdresses similar to those worn by the Maya and Aztec elites. Teotihuacans, like the rest of the Mesoamerican cultures, associated the jaguar with the war.
7- The God of Pulque
In Mesoamerican cultures, particularly Aztec and Teotihuacan, pulque was an alcoholic beverage used in religious rituals. The God of Pulque had several representations, one of the most popular was the rabbit.
It is believed that there was a group of sacred rabbits that met in ceremonial alcoholic parties. Some of them were Tepoztecatl, Texcatzonatl, Colhuatzincatl, Macuiltochtli and Ometochtli.
8- The Fat God
It is considered that this god represents the contraposition of life and death. He is represented with a human face of elegant and balanced appearance, with narrowed eyelids and prominent and sharp cheekbones. Some investigators have interpreted it as the representation of death and are believed to have funerary functions.
9- The Skinned God
In multiple graphic representations, this god appeared dressed in human skin and a bloody weapon. It has been compared to the Aztec god Xipe Totec. It is considered the god of agriculture, vegetation, disease, spring and seasons.
It is thought that the relationship between this god and agriculture consisted of a periodic ritual in which the god flayed himself to provide food for humanity, just as the seeds of corn lose their outer skin before germinating and growing.