THE AZTECS Q05 
acted in part through other gods. But the list is too 
long to be repeated here. 
The special gods of the four principal Mexican cities 
were as follows:— 
Tenochtitlan Huitzilopochtli 
Tezcoco Tezcatlipoca 
Tlascala Camaztli 
Cholula Quetzalcoatl 
Of gods with a foreign origin perhaps the most 
important were Quetzalcoatl and Xipe. The former 
was introduced long before 
the Aztecs raised their 
banner of war and may 
have been an adaptation 
of the Long-nosed God of 
the Mayas. ‘The worship 
of Xipe is said to have 
originated in a Zapotecan 
town but it had certainly 
taken a strong hold on 
the Aztecs of Mexico City 
and was likewise known to 
Nahuan tribes as far south 
as Salvador. 
Conceptions of the 
Universe. Cosmogonic 
Fig. 76. Chalchuihtlicue, © myths, the world over, are 
Aztecan Goddess of Water. unscientific attempts to 
explain the creation of the universe, to outline the 
powers of the gods and to trace the development of 
nature. ‘The cosmogonic myths of Mexico and Central 
America are characterized by multiple creations. The 
Aztecan belief in five suns each standing for a world 
epoch is paralleled in fragments of Mayan mythology. 
Creation is not emphasized so much as destruction. The 
