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In Aztec mythology, Xiuhtēcuhtli ("Turquoise Lord" or "Lord of Fire"),Fernández 1992, 1996, p.104. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.476. Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.189. was the god of fire, day and heat.Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.433. In historical sources he is called by many names, which reflect his varied aspects and dwellings in the three parts of the cosmos.Olvera, Silvia Limón. "Fire Deities." In David Carrasco (ed). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures. : Oxford University Press, 2001 He was the lord of volcanoes,Coe & Koontz 2002, p.55. the personification of life after death, warmth in cold (fire), light in darkness and food during famine. He was also named Cuezaltzin ("flame") and Ixcozauhqui ,Sahagún 1577, 1989, p.47. (Book I, Chapter XIII). and is sometimes considered to be the same as Huehueteotl ("Old God"),Fernández 1992, 1996, p.104. although Xiuhtecuhtli is usually shown as a young deity.Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.476. His wife was Chalchiuhtlicue. Xiuhtecuhtli is sometimes considered to be a manifestation of Ometecuhtli, the Lord of Duality, and according to the Florentine Codex Xiuhtecuhtli was considered to be the father of the Gods,Fernández 1992, 1996, p.104. León-Portilla 2002, pp.25, 26. who dwelled in the turquoise enclosure in the center of earth.Matos Moctezuma 1988, p.94. Xiuhtecuhtli-Huehueteotl was one of the oldest and most revered of the indigenous pantheon.Luján 2005, p.140 The cult of the God of Fire, of the Year, and of Turquoise perhaps began as far back as the middle Preclassic period.Luján 2005, p.141 Turquoise was the symbolic equivalent of fire for Aztec priests.Roy 2005, p.211 A small fire was permanently kept alive at the sacred center of every Aztec home in honor of Xiuhtecuhtli.
The Nahuatl word xihuitl means "year" as well as "turquoise" and "fire", and Xiuhtecuhtli was also the god of the year and of time.Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.190. Smith 1996, 2003, pp.246-7. Díaz & Rodgers 1993, p.xix.Bezanilla 2000, p.25 The Lord of the Year concept came from the Aztec belief that Xiuhtecuhtli was the North Star.Bingham & Roberts 2010, p.143 In the 260-day ritual calendar, the deity was the patron of the day Atl ("Water") and with the trecena 1 Coatl ("1 Snake"). Xiuhtecuhtli was also one of the nine Lords of the Night and ruled the first hour of the night, named Cipactli ("Alligator").Díaz & Rodgers 1993, p.xix. Smith 1996, 2003, p.248 Scholars have long emphasized that this fire deity also has aquatic qualities. Xiuhtecuhtli dwelt inside an enclosure of turquoise stones, fortifying himself with turquoise bird water.Luján 2005, p.145. He is the god of fire in relation to the cardinal directions, just as the brazier for lighting fire is the center of the house or temple.Luján 2005, p.147. Xiuhtecuhtli was the patron god of the Aztec emperors, who were regarded as his living embodiment at their enthronement.Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.447. The deity was also one of the patron gods of the pochteca merchant class.Coe & Koontz 2002, p.197.
Stone sculptures of Xiuhtecuhtli were ritually buried as offerings, and various statuettes have been recovered during excavations at the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan with which he was closely associated.Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, pp.172, 476. Statuettes of the deity from the temple depict a seated male with his arms crossed.Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.172. A sacred fire was always kept burning in the temples of Xiuhtecuhtli.Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.414. In gratitude for the gift of fire, the first mouthful of food from each meal was flung into the hearth.
Xiuhtecuhtli is depicted in the Codex Borgia.9780486275697, Dover. ISBN 9780486275697
Many of the attributes of Xiuhtecuhtli are found associated with Early Postclassic Toltec warriors but clear representations of the god are not common until the Late Postclassic. The nahual, or spirit form, of Xiuhtecuhtli is Xiuhcoatl, the Fire Serpent.Fernández 1992, 1996, p.107.
Xiuhtecuhtli was embodied in the teotecuilli, the sacrificial brazier into which sacrificial victims were cast during the New Fire ceremony. This took place at the end of each cycle of the Aztec calendar round (every 52 years),Smith 1996, 2003, p.249. when the gods were thought to be able to end their covenant with humanity. Feasts were held in honor of Xiuhtecuhtli to keep his favors, and human sacrifices were burned after removing their heart.
Every four years a more solemn version of the festival was held at the temple of Xiuhtecuhtli in Tenochtitlan, attended by the emperor and his nobles.Sahagún 1577, 1989, pp.48-9 (Book I, Chapter XIII). Slaves and captives were dressed as the deity and sacrificed in his honour.López Austin 1998, p.10. Sahagún 1577, 1989, p.98 (Book II, Chapter XVIII). Godparents were assigned to children on this day and the children had their ears ritually pierced. After this, the children, their parents and godparents all shared a meal together.
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