God Patecatl – Father Of ‘Four Hundred Rabbits’ In Aztec Beliefs

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In Aztec mythology, Patecatl is a god of healing and fertility. He is also the 'lord of the root of pulque,' the oldest alcoholic beverage, made from the maguey (agave) plant and known as the 'Drink of the Gods.'

A drawing of Patecatl, one of the deities described in the Codex Borgia. Public Domain

Patecatl is also the discoverer of peyote, one of many hallucinogenic substances. Archaeological evidence of peyote use dates back over 5000 years.

Several chroniclers, such as Fray Bernardino de Sahagún (1500-1590), a Franciscan friar, missionary priest, and pioneering ethnographer, described their effects in the 16^th century.

The use of different psychoactive substances was common in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies. As with other pre-Columbian cultures, the Aztecs used them, and 'peyote' was one of them.

Even today, local healers and shamans in their respective cultures still use peyote in ritual ceremonies in Mesoamerica.

With his wife, Mayahuel, goddess of the maguey plant, Patecatl has children known as the Centzon Totochtin (the 'four hundred rabbits'), curious divine individuals in the Aztec beliefs. The 'four hundred rabbits' are known to be frequently drunken and immoral. They are the gods of drunkenness, who enjoy themselves much when participating in frequent drunken parties.

The 'four hundred rabbit gods' of drunkenness have their leader, which according to the Aztec beliefs, is Ometotchtli (or Ometochtli), which in Nahuatl means "Two Rabbits." Ometotchtli is also a god of drunkenness in the Aztec pantheon.

Ancient Aztecs believed that Mayahuel's breasts, with which she fed the Centzon Totochtin, were considered to be the cause of total drunkenness.

Patecatl is the protector of the 12th day of the tonalpohuall, which in Nahuatl means "count of days." In the Aztec calendar, Patecatl is the lord of the thirteen days from 1 Monkey to 13 House. Tonalpohuall is an Aztec version of the 260-day calendar in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. This calendar is neither solar nor lunar and consists of 20 - 13-day periods.

A different deity rules each period of 13 days.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Udated on February 13, 2023

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