Tonatiuh and Tezcatlipoca

Tonatiuh is the sun deity of the Nahuas. More specifically, he is the current sun in Nahua cosmology. The Nahua believed that the world had been created multiple times (four or five times depending on accounts). Tonatiuh is the last and current one. Mexica sources added the well-known narrative that the humble deity Nanahuatl sacrificed himself to become a new sun.

Tezcatlipoca is a trickster and supreme deity in Nahua religion. He played many central roles in their cosmology. He was revered as ‘Lord of All Created Things’ as he was one of the creators of the sky and earth. Tezcatlipoca was also a patron of warriors and rulers, thus his importance was further emphasized by the ruling class who had to deal with a constant war between city-states.

Tonatiuh's iconographic elements are rather consistent across codices. His body is painted red to symbolize the heat. He wears a golden mirror that glows like the sun as a breastplate. His golden hair also reflects this. He usually wears an eagle feather headdress. I chose a depiction from Codex Telleriano Remensis. Along with all the usual regalia, he bears a magnificent solar disc on his back. The edge of the disc is surmounted with crimson feathers, giving it the appearance of a blazing halo. Although eagle is often cited as a symbol of Tonatiuh, I chose the stag because deer is heavily associated with the sun in Nahua cosmology. For example, in page 33 of Codex Borgia, deer is depicted carrying the sun itself.

Tezcatlipoca is one of the most frequently appearing deities in codices. Although his appearances can vary because of his myriad aspects, common iconographic elements link them to Tezcatlipoca. The most distinguishing feature of Tezcatlipoca is a yellow facial paint across his face (mixchictlapanticac). Another recognizable element is the smoking obsidian mirror, which reflects his name (Tezcatl [mirror] + popocatl [smoke]). He is sometimes depicted wearing this mirror (headdress, breastplate, etc.), but more often, this smoking mirror replaces his right foot. This is an allusion to the creation myth, in which Tezcatlipoca loses his foot during the fight with the crocodile monster Cipactli. The mirror in the drawing is based on Codex Borbonicus.

Ezpitzal, ‘gush of blood,’ is another Tezcatlipoca-related element. It looks like a stream of blood studded with jade beads, sometimes accompanied by the symbol for a heart. Codex Tudela transforms this into Tezcatlipoca’s headband, which I added to his headdress. The rest of the headdress is based on the drawing of Tezcatlipoca in Florentine Codex Book 2. It features white heron feathers, which are associated with warriors and, by extension, Tezcatlipoca himself.

As for the jewelry, the important diagnostic element is the anahuatl breastplate, which is made of cut seashell. This is also worn by other aspects of Tezcatlipoca, such as Tepeyollotl and Huehuecoyotl. Necklaces, bracelets, and anklets made of turquoise and jade are based on Codex Telleriano-Remensis. The golden armlet is from the illustration of Diego Duran’s Book of the Gods and Rites. Arrow-shaped noseplug, turquoise earplugs, and long white lipplug made or shell or crystal are based on Codex Tudela.

Usually Tezcatlipoca wears maxtlatl (loincloth) and tzinipilli (hipcloth), like other deities. However, instead of tzinipilli, I chose the sheer, netted cloak based on the aforementioned Duran drawing. This kind of cloak (cuechintli), made of coarse fiber, was worn by warriors during ceremonies honoring their patron Tezcatlipoca. The ornate maxtlatl design is based on Codex Borgia.

On his right hand, Tezcatlipoca is carrying a tlachialoni, or ‘device for seeing.’ It symbolizes the omniscient nature of Tezcatlipoca, as he can see everything through the hole in the center of the disk. On his left hand, he is carrying a shield with a down feather ball motif, which is associated with sacrifice. Tezcatlipoca often holds the shield with this pattern, as well as related deities like Huitzilopochtli. The one in the drawing is based on Primeros Memoriales. The little banner protruding behind the shield comes from Codex Borgia.

I chose a jaguar to represent Tezcatlipoca since it is his nahualli (animal counterpart). Although Tezcatlipoca can shapeshift into various animals, jaguar is the most prominent. When he transforms into a jaguar, he becomes Tepeyollotl, the god of earthquakes. Although codices depict Tepeyollotl as a regular jaguar, I drew a melanistic one because it matches with Tezcatlipoca’s primary color black, which symbolizes the obsidian mirror.