YMMV / Aztec Mythology

• Alternative Character Interpretation: The groups of Mesoamerica in general worshiped more or less the same gods but giving them their own spin. For instance, the Chichimec worshipped Tlazolteotl (to the Aztecs a very complex sexual goddess related to sin and forgiveness) as Itzpapálotl, a female warrior goddess. This also explains why there are several sun gods (Tonatiuh and Huitzilopochtli, as even Tezcatlipoca sometimes), several moon gods (Nanahuatzin and Coyolhauxqui) and an unspecified number of deities for the Morning Star (Tlahuizcanpantecuhtli —now that's a mouthful, Xolotl and Quetzalcoatl). Some believe that the most complex figures, like Tezcatlipoca and Xipe Totec come from Toltec culture, whereas other gods such as Huitzilopochtli are the tribal gods from the Aztec's past in Aztlan.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: The ruling Mexica of Tenochtitlan considered Huitzilopochtli their patron.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Xipe Totec, the god of the east, was also a god of disease. Some people from the east would later bring diseases that caused epidemics which wiped out enormous numbers of Native Americans.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: The fate of the human race from the Second and Fourth Suns is evolution in reverse.
• Magnificent Bastard: In one version of the myth Tezcatlipoca is a Trickster God and the brother of Quetzalcoatl. Conspiring with Huitzilopochtli and Tlacahuepan to overthrow his brother to usher in a new era for the gods overshadowed by his reign to be venerated, Tezcatlipoca infiltrates the ailing Quetzalcoatl's palace and tricks him into drinking a "medicine" that rejuvenates him until he continues to force him to drink the rest, after which Quetzalcoatl goes on a drunken spree of self-humiliation, exiling and then killing himself to be reborn. Successfully supplanting his brother's peaceful reign, he introduced the Aztec people to war and human sacrifice, granting them his boon in exchange, protecting slaves from abuse by striking down anyone who dared to hurt them. Finally, he set aside his rivalry with his brother to dismember the monster Tlaltcuhtli, creating the Fifth Sun from her remains.
• Never Live It Down: The whole mythology tends to be overshadowed by the sacrifices.
• Values Dissonance: Oh hells yes. Some debate the scale of the sacrifices, but even accounting for exaggeration, there is concrete archeological proof of truly horrible rituals that were undertaken.
  • The babies sacrificed to Tlaloc to insure rain, had to asphyxiate but not drown, and they had to be crying when put in the water, so they blocked their nose and mouth with liquid rubber and slapped them around, then threw them into a pool. The hearts were indeed extracted with the sacrificial "victim" (it was considered an honor to feed the gods) still alive and through what was basically an open heart surgery performed with obsidian blades.
  • The only ritual that is believed to not be celebrated as such is Xipe Totec's sacrifice; to wit: the offering was either a young virgin boy or girl, who had to be volunteered, who was offered a couple of days of unrestricted abandon regarding food and sex, meaning they had to have sex with as many partners as possible whether they wanted or not. They were then killed and decapitated (or killed by decapitation, but only because it was easier to do the following) and then their entire skin was removed to manufacture a "costume" which was then worn by a priest who proceeded to dance around for days until the skin dried and rotted; symbolizing how the seeds are planted, grow, give fruit and then dry throughout the season. This suddenly makes a lot of Mayincatec sacrifices look tame in comparison.

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