Aztec mythology; Indian mythology -- Mexico; Mexico -- Religion
Codex Borbonicus.—In this manuscript Tezcatlipocâ is depicted with the
yellow-and-black face-painting, but in his form as a black god. At his
forehead is the smoking mirror, on his back the large quetzal-feather
ornament with a banner, on his breast the anauatl, and round his loins
the hip-cloth, with a bordering of red eyes. On his feet he wears
sandals showing the motif of the obsidian snake, and his headdress is
painted with the stellar symbol, the round white spots on a black
ground, which typifies the night sky. Here also we see two bamboo
staves attached to his neck—undoubtedly the collar worn by captives or
slaves which rendered flight impossible, and which Tezcatlipocâ wears
to symbolize his enslavement of the Mexican people and in allusion to
his name Titlacauan, which means “He whose slaves we are.” The spear
and the net-pouch in this place recall the insignia of Mixcoatl, and
seem to indicate that Tezcatlipocâ was a god of the Chichimec or
hunting folk of the North Steppes, or perhaps it may merely symbolize
the proneness of all stellar, lunar and solar deities in Mexico to the
chase.
Tonalamatl of the Aubin Collection.—In this manuscript Tezcatlipocâ
appears as the representative of the Moon-god and sits opposite the
Sun-god. He is shown with his usual attributes and face-painting, the
smoking mirror in the region of the ear, the white ring on his breast,
and on his back the quetzalcomitl, the large quetzal-feather ornament
in which a banner is stuck. In his right hand he holds several of the
agave-spikes which the priests employed for piercing the tongue. In
this manuscript the Death-god is also depicted as Tezcatlipocâ, and
wears his body-and-face painting and his general insignia, as well as
the rosette at the nape of the neck. In this place, however, the
snail-shaped shield rises above the forehead, which is also decorated
with a row of feather balls and a single arara plume.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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