The Truth According to the Aztec Quiz

Answer: Hummingbird

Huitzilopochtli was considered the most important Aztec god and the Aztecs believed that if he was defeated in a war, so were the Aztecs. Huitzilopochtli is widely considered to mean "left-handed hummingbird" or "hummingbird of the south." However, other historians believe that that translation is incorrect and his name means "dart hunter" or "left-hand side."

Answer: A cactus

The symbol of the eagle, the snake and the cactus is very important in Mexican culture. Today, it is the Coat of Arms of Mexico and is emblazoned on the Mexican flag.

Answer: Fire

Xiuhtecuhtli was known as the Lord of Fire and was also considered the god of day. He was also the God of the emperors and of the merchants. On his feast day, slaves were routinely made to dress as Xiuhtecuhtli and be sacrificed in a volcano.

Answer: Feathered Serpent

Despite popular belief, there is no proof that the Aztecs thought the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes was Quetzalcoatl. The only recordings of such an incident are from Spanish nobles and explorers who wished to present the Aztec as ignorant to justify their conquering.

Quetzalcoatl is depicted as a dragon-like reptile with feathers for flying. He is a creator god who made mankind and separated the earth from the sky.

Answer: Tlaloc

Tlaloc is believe to have originally been associated with the earth, as the Aztec built many underground shrines in his honor. Tlaloc is not a unique god to the Aztecs as most other Mexican native tribes believe in a similar rain god. In Aztec art, Tlaloc is usually seen carrying ears of corn or buckets of water to symbolize his importance in bringing nourishment to the Aztec people.

Answer: Mictlan

Xolotl's main duty was to the guard the sun when it retired to the Underworld at nighttime. Xolotl is generally not considered "evil" as are spme other gods who serve the same role in other people's myth systems. Xolotl is usually shownn as a skeletal creature with the head of a dog. The dog breed Xoloitzcuintle, also known as the Mexican hairless, gets its name from Xolotl.

Answer: Sin and forgiveness

Tlazolteotl is sometimes referred to as the goddess who "eats dirt", which is meant to be taken as saying that she eats away the sins of the people whom she forgives. In addition to being the goddess of sins and forgiveness, she is also the goddess of midwives, adulterers and purification.

Answer: Humans were created

Tamoanchan is said to be where modern humans were created out of the blood and bones of past humanlike species. Itzpapalotl means "clawed butterfly", which Aztec scholars believe refers to bats, as the goddess is often seen depicted with the wings of a bat. Itzpapalotl could change her shape often, and is said to have taken the form of a beautiful woman or a hideous beast.

Answer: Maize

Centeotl was considered among the most important Aztec gods as maize was a staple crop and the Aztecs needed a healthy harvest. After the maize crops were planted, the farmers would perform a special dance to please Centeotl. At other rituals in his honor, Aztecs would throw corn flour at each other.

Answer: Tecciztecatl

The Aztec myths state that our current Earth is actually the fifth world that has existed. The other four had previously been destroyed. The sun and the Earth, however, remained in existence. The Sun was stationary and thus all of the gods and goddesses decided to sacrifice themselves to start the movement of the sun. Tecciztecatl was expected to jump into the fire first, but he chickened out.

Instead, Nanahuatl, who was considered the weakest and ugliest god, sacrificed himself to get the sun moving again. Tecciztecatl felt humiliated and only then jumped into the fire, becoming the moon. Tecciztecatl literally translates to "man in the moon."