The Birth of Huitzilopochtli

On the sacred mountain of Coatepec, the serpent hill, lived Coatlicue, She of the Serpent Skirt. She was the earth mother, giver and taker of life, and she had already borne many children: the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui and the four hundred sons known as the Centzon Huitznahua, who became the stars of the southern sky.

One day, while Coatlicue swept the temple as an act of penance, a ball of fine feathers descended from the heavens. She tucked it into her waistband for safekeeping. When she later reached for it, the feathers had vanished, and she discovered she was with child.

When Coyolxauhqui learned of her mother's pregnancy, she was filled with rage and shame. How could Coatlicue, their venerable mother, dishonor the family in such a way? The moon goddess gathered her four hundred brothers and convinced them that their mother must die for this transgression.

They armed themselves as warriors and ascended Coatepec to murder Coatlicue. She wept in fear, for she did not understand her own pregnancy, but a voice spoke to her from her womb: "Do not be afraid. I know what I must do."

At the moment Coyolxauhqui reached the summit to strike the killing blow, Huitzilopochtli burst forth from his mother's body fully grown and dressed for war. He wore the blue-green hummingbird headdress and carried Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as his weapon.

With a single strike of the fire serpent, he decapitated his sister. Her body tumbled down the mountainside, breaking apart as it fell until her limbs scattered at the base of Coatepec. He then turned on the Centzon Huitznahua, pursuing them across the sky and slaughtering most of them in his divine fury.

The Aztecs understood this myth as the daily cosmic drama. Each morning, Huitzilopochtli is born from the earth (Coatlicue) and defeats the moon (Coyolxauhqui) and stars (Centzon Huitznahua), driving them from the sky. Each night, they return to threaten him again, and each dawn he must be reborn to repeat his victory.

This is why the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan was built as a recreation of Coatepec. The great stone disk of the dismembered Coyolxauhqui was placed at the base of the temple stairs. Sacrificial victims were cast down these stairs after their hearts were offered to Huitzilopochtli, reenacting his victory and ensuring the sun's continued triumph.