Mixcoatl
Mixcoatl (Yemaxtli, Yoamaxtli) (cloud serpent) In Aztec mythology, god of hunting, lord of the chase, often identified with the god Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec creator-trickster god worshipped by warriors and magicians. He was also said to be the father of Quetzalcoatl. The Spanish cleric Fray Diego Durán, in his Book of the Gods and Rites (c. 1576), says that Mixcoatl was the “inventor of the ways and manners of hunting.”
The god was portrayed as a man with long hair and black eyes. He wore a crown of plumes on his head, and his nose was pierced with a berry pit. In one hand he held a basket containing food, in the other a bow and arrow. His body was covered with white stripes from the top to the bottom. Human sacrifices were made to him.
Mixcoatl was also known as Iztac Mixcoatl (the white cloud serpent). He was a progenitor, father of seven sons who were the founders of the seven cities speaking the Nahuatl language. His first wife was Ilamatechtli, a form of Coatlicue, and his second wife was Chimalmatl (green shield).
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Source:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. DowCopyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
