Opochtli

Opochtli was one of the gods of the Aztec pantheon. He was considered a god of fishing and hunting, and as one of the representatives of the rain god Tlaloc. In Nahuatl, his name means The Left or The left-hander. He was the God who threw his spear with his left hand. Since the Aztecs saw the West as the primary point of the compass, the south was according to their orientation on the left. Opochtli was therefore also associated with the South.

Rain and water gods

Gods who were associated with rain and water, came to a great importance in arid homeland of the Aztecs. In addition to Tlaloc, one of the principal gods of the pantheon, therefore, there was a variety of agents ( Tlaloques ) who went to the chief god of the Weather Make your fingertips. They introduced himself as dwarves who distributed the water jugs from the mountain Tlalocan over the thirsty land. However, the Tlaloques also made snow, fog, thunder and lightning. Wife of Tlaloc in turn was Chalchiuhtlicue, which was attributed rather the destructive power of water. The rain gods also included the Tepictoton, the water god Nappatecutli and last but not least Opochtli. Opochtli itself is also associated with Amimitl, the god of lakes, and with Atlaua, the Lord of the waters, in conjunction.

Special

As characteristic in the band of rain and water gods was true for Opochtli that were attributed to him the invention of fishing, fishing nets, the rudder, the pots and the minacachalli. The minacachalli was a spear, was captured with the big fish, but also birds and other game. Opochtli was worshiped especially in villages that lay on the water. They brought him food and pulque as peace offerings, and Copal dar. as incense