After having created the sky, the earth and the underworld, the gods, still around the great fire, reflected on how to improve their creation. Quetzalcoatl had an idea, he took the campfire where the gods had gathered and turned it into a half-sun. Faced with this fact, Tezcatlipoca, jealous and angry, took it for himself and it became a complete sun. The first Ocelotonatiuh sun, which means Jaguar sun, was born and it was that of Tezcatlipoca…
The First Sun: Ocelotonatiuh, (Sun Jaguar)
In the photo, the glyph at the top right of the large central sun represents the Jaguar sun. It is the earth element. Under this first sun, it was very hot. The heat wave withered all culture and prevented all life from flourishing. At this time, giants named Tzocuiliceque occupied the Earth. Tezcatlipoca who was the master, of the first Sun, had the honor of charging it every day during its journey across the sky. But that did not please all the gods. Indeed Quetzalcoatl was very jealous. He was all the more so since it was he who had created the first half of this sun. In an act of anger, he went to heaven and fiercely beat Tezcatlipoca. The blow delivered by Quetzacoatl paralyzed Tezcatlipoca, who fell from the sky, hitting the Earth and became the spirit of his sacred animal: the jaguar. The repercussions of this act of anger were that all living creatures on Earth were wiped out, devoured by jaguars. The time of the jaguar sun ended and the Earth was covered by night. This period would have, according to the Aztecs lasted 676 xiuhmolpillis. A xiuhmolpilli, which means binding of the years, corresponds to a cycle of 52 years. This period would therefore have lasted 36,152 years in all.
Second Sun: Ehecatonatiuh (Wind Sun)
In the photo, the glyph to the left of the first sun represents the Sun of the Wind. Following his victory over Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl became ruler of the sun. He had like Tezcatlipoca before him the divine honor to lead in his journey to defeat the powers of darkness on Earth. He was kinder to life, allowing crops to flourish abundantly, and men to be happy. But Tezcatlipoca had not digested his defeat and to reconquer his dominations he went up to heaven and killed his brother with a claw. In his fall Quetzalcoatl caused a storm that destroyed everything in its path, the men had to walk bent over, clinging to what they could. According to the Aztecs, some survived by becoming apes. The end took place after 376 xiuhmolpillis, or 19,552 years.
Third sun: Quiauhtonatiuh (Sun of rain)
Below the previous glyph is the Sun of Rain. It represents the fire element. The gods tired of the jealousies between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca decided that another god would have the honor of bearing the Sun in the sky. They chose Tlaloc, god of rain. Tlaloc therefore reigned supreme during the third creation of the Earth, his rain of nutritious waters brought life back to the Earth and finally covered it with rivers, lakes and oceans. During this time, the giants fed on cereals. But during this period when all was well, the people became corrupt, ignored the moral precepts imposed on them by the gods and devoted themselves to unhealthy pleasures. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca desiring to take back their due began to conspire together against Tlaloc. Quetzalcoatl then emerged as a gigantic volcano, and it began to rain fire from the sky. Ashes fell, consuming and burying the world. Some men have survived by becoming birds. This Sun lasted 78 xiuhmolpillis, which is equivalent to 4,056 years.
Fourth Sun: Atltonatiuh (Water Sun)
The lower right glyph represents the Sun of Water. It represents the era before the present. Once again the gods have intervened to recreate the Earth. This time it is Chalchihuitlicue the one who wears jade skirts goddess of rivers and lakes and who is also the wife of Tlaloc, who incarnated in the Sun. The giants repopulated the Earth and this time followed the conduct dictated to them by the gods. However, Tezcatlipoca, dissatisfied with the good weather, corrupts Chalchihuitlicue, and orders the fourth destruction of humanity. It begins to rain heavily, the men have to face terrible floods, until the water emerges from the center of the Earth causing a huge disaster in the world. Some human beings managed to survive this disaster by becoming fish. This Sun lasted 77 xiuhmolpillis, 4312 years.
The history of the first four Aztec suns is evoked by three major writings the Historia de los Mexicanos por sus Pinturas which evokes only four of them and the Leyenda de los Soles and the General History of things of new Spain which evoke one. fifth. This fifth sun would be the current sun and it would have been added by the Aztecs to older writings to establish their religious power over the peoples of Mesoamerica. You should also know that the suns do not appear in the same order according to the different stories and we have chosen to present them to you according to the most common order. /span>
