Ehecatl: The Snake-Bird Deity And God Of Wind Feared And Respected By The Aztecs

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Located in the Toluca Valley of highland central Mexico, Calixtlahuaca is one of the few Aztec-related urban sites, of which architecture and stone sculpture have survived until today.

Calixtlahuaca, a circular temple of Ehecatl, the Aztec god of wind. Image credit: INAH

Most of the settlement at Calixtlahuaca occupies the slopes of Cerro Tenismo, a small relict volcano. The Calixtlahuaca Aztec ruins near Toluca are scattered between the valley floor and the hill's summit.

The largest and best-known structure at Calixtlahuaca is a circular temple, where archaeologists discovered a life-sized stone sculpture of the Aztec god of wind, Ehecatl, which means 'Wind in Náhuatl.'

The Aztec codices confirm that Ehecatl was black with a conical head; he wore a red bird mask and shell jewelry, but his favorite piece of jewelry was a 'wind jewel' made of a conch shell.

Ehecatl was an important snake-bird deity (Quetzalcoatl) and god of air in the Aztecs' beliefs.

The Aztecs believed that the sound of the wind in the trees represented Ehecatl’s desire.

This deity symbolized fertility and human breath, which means this figure was closely associated with life force. The Aztecs believed that Ehecatl – by controlling all kinds of winds, even the strongest ones – could give life to Earth. Ehecatl's role was significant because he was credited with the creation of the present human race and the creation of the heavens.

One legend says that Ehecatl blew on the *sacrificial fire to stimulate the rising of the fifth sun and the fifth moon, the sun and moon of the present world, the fifth world. With such contributions, the Aztecs considered Ehecatl to be a creator god.

Left:Stone sculpture of Ehécatl, Wind God, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico ; Right: Altar dedicated to the god Ehecatl, located in the middle of Metro Pino Suárez, Mexico City. Image credit: Thelmadatter - Public Domain

In Aztec myths and legends, Ehecatl plays an important role. One legend says that Ehecatl introduced sexual love to humankind; he once fell in love with Mayahuel, a maiden he brought from the Underworld. Their lovemaking caused a tree to grow.

The Aztecs believed that the sound of the wind in the trees represented Ehecatl's desire.

The Aztec codices confirm that Ehecatl was black with a conical head; he wore a red bird mask and shell jewelry, but his favorite piece of jewelry was a 'wind jewel' made of a conch shell.

Statue of Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl, in the Brooklyn Museum (New York City). Life-Death Figure, 900-1250. (No restrictions)

The temples, which the Aztecs built to honor him, were circular-shaped with conical roofs to symbolize caves to the Underworld. According to one interpretation, a circle, which is endless and round, the temples' rounded corners may have represented the god Ehecatl's infinite powers.

One of the extraordinary finds made at the archaeological site of Calixtlahuaca during the XIX and XX centuries is a Romanesque figurine - a small terracotta head - unearthed in 1933 during the excavation of a burial offering in the Pre-Hispanic settlement of Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca, located approximately forty miles NW of Mexico City.

It remains a mystery how it reached Caxtlahuaca, 40 km northeast of Mexico City. It is known the artifact is authentic and dates back to the 2nd century.

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

Updated on February 2, 2024

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