Tlaloc, whose name means “he who makes things sprout” in Nahuatl, was one of the oldest and most important gods in the Mexica pantheon. Tlaloc was the god of rain, of fertility, and of agricultural abundance, and his cult was central to the agricultural life of the Mexica. Tlaloc was associated with the mountains, where the clouds gathered, and with the four directions from which the rains came. He was conceived as a powerful and unpredictable god, capable of sending the life-giving rains or of withholding them and bringing drought and famine. Tlaloc shared the Templo Mayor with Huitzilopochtli, and his cult was second in importance only to that of the war god.
The Origins of the Cult of Tlaloc
The cult of Tlaloc was much older than the Mexica, and it had been worshipped in Mesoamerica for centuries before the Mexica arrival in the Valley of Mexico. The cult was particularly important among the Teotihuacanos, the people who had built the great city of Teotihuacan in the first centuries of the Common Era, and Tlaloc was one of the principal deities worshipped at Teotihuacan. The cult was also important among the Toltecs, and it was inherited by the Mexica from the older cultures of central Mexico.
The Mexica inherited the cult of Tlaloc from the older cultures of central Mexico, and they incorporated him into their own religious system. The Mexica gave Tlaloc new attributes and new mythologies, and they made him one of the principal deities of the Mexica state. The Mexica also associated Tlaloc with the four directions from which the rains came, and they believed that the four manifestations of Tlaloc controlled the rains of the four quarters of the earth.
The Attributes of Tlaloc
Tlaloc had a wide range of attributes, and he was associated with many different aspects of Mexica life. He was the god of rain, and he was believed to control the rains that were essential for the success of the agriculture. He was the god of fertility, and he was associated with the growth of the crops. He was the god of the mountains, and he was associated with the springs and the caves where the waters were believed to originate.
Tlaloc was also associated with the color green, and his statues and images were often painted in green. He was associated with the number four, and he was one of the four Tezcatlipocas, the high gods of the Mexica state. He was associated with the day sign Ce Quiyahuitl, “one rain,” and he was believed to be especially powerful on the days associated with this sign.
The Cult of Tlaloc
The cult of Tlaloc shaped the Mexica religion, and it was centered on the great temple of Tlaloc in the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan. The cult of Tlaloc required human sacrifice, and the Mexica believed that the tears of the children who were sacrificed to Tlaloc would be transformed into rain. The cult of Tlaloc was particularly important in times of drought, and the Mexica would perform elaborate rituals to propitiate the god and to ensure the fertility of the fields.
The priests of Tlaloc were noted for their knowledge of the weather and the seasons, and they were responsible for the timing of the agricultural rituals. The priests of Tlaloc were also known for their skill in the use of herbal medicines, and they were responsible for the treatment of illnesses that were believed to be caused by the anger of the god. The most important festivals of the cult of Tlaloc were the monthly festivals of the veintenas, particularly the festivals of Atlcahualo, Etzalcualiztli, and Atemoztli, which were associated with the agricultural cycle.
The Children Sacrificed to Tlaloc
The cult of Tlaloc involved the sacrifice of children, who were believed to be especially pleasing to the rain god. The children were purchased from their parents or were given by their parents as offerings, and they were taken to the mountain shrines around Tenochtitlan to be sacrificed. The Mexica believed that the tears of the children would be transformed into rain, and they performed elaborate rituals to honor the children and to ensure the fertility of the fields.
The sacrifice of children to Tlaloc is one of the most controversial aspects of Mexica religion, and it has been the subject of much scholarly and ethical debate. The Mexica, however, believed that the sacrifice was a necessary part of the religious system, and that without the sacrifice, the rains would not come and the crops would fail. The sacrifice was performed with elaborate rituals, and the children were honored with offerings and prayers.
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