The Mexica creation myth, the story of the five cosmic eras or “suns,” ranks among the most important and most elaborate creation myths in the pre-Columbian Americas. The myth tells of the creation and destruction of four previous worlds, each of which ended in catastrophe, and of the birth of the present age, the age of the Fifth Sun, in which we are still living. The myth was central to Mexica religious belief, and it shaped the Mexica understanding of time, of history, and of the human condition. The myth was recorded in several sources, most importantly the Codex Vaticanus A, the Florentine Codex, and various indigenous chronicles, and it has been the subject of extensive scholarly analysis.
The Concept of the Five Suns
The Mexica, like other Mesoamerican peoples, believed that the world had been created and destroyed several times before the present age. Each previous creation was called a “sun,” a word that refers both to the period of cosmic time and to the divine being who was believed to rule that period. The Mexica believed that there had been four suns before the present one, and that each had ended in catastrophe. The present age, the age of the Fifth Sun, was believed to be the last, and it was destined to end in earthquakes, a fate that could be postponed only by proper ritual and by the constant feeding of the gods with blood and human hearts.
The concept of the five suns reflects the Mexica sense of cosmic fragility, and it gave Mexica religion its characteristic tone of anxious urgency. The Mexica believed that the world could end at any moment, and that the gods required constant attention and propitiation to keep the cosmos in motion. The idea of cosmic cycles also reflected the Mexica understanding of history, in which the present age was seen as the culmination of a long process of creation and destruction.
The First Sun: Nahui-Ocelotl, the Sun of the Jaguar
The first sun, called Nahui-Ocelotl, the “Four Jaguar,” was ruled by the god Tezcatlipoca in his aspect as the Lord of the Night. The first age was one of giants, of beings who were able to communicate with the gods and who lived in peace and harmony. The first sun was destroyed when the jaguars, the animals of the night, devoured the people of the first age. The destruction is said to have been the work of Tezcatlipoca, who was transformed into a jaguar and who devoured the people as punishment for their failure to honor the gods properly. Only a few humans survived, hiding in the caves of the earth.
The first age was associated with the color black, with the element of earth, and with the jaguar. The myth of the first age may reflect ancient memories of a great cataclysm, perhaps a volcanic eruption or a devastating flood, and it established the pattern of cosmic destruction that would be repeated in each subsequent age.
The Second Sun: Nahui-Ehecatl, the Sun of the Wind
The second sun, called Nahui-Ehecatl, the “Four Wind,” was ruled by Quetzalcoatl in his aspect as the god of wind. The second age was one of less powerful beings, the ancestors of the present humans, who lived in more ordinary conditions. The second sun was destroyed when the great winds blew across the earth, sweeping away the people and the buildings they had constructed. The destruction is said to have been the work of Tezcatlipoca, who was angry at the people for their failure to honor the gods, and who transformed himself into the wind to destroy them. The few humans who survived were transformed into monkeys, and they retreated to the forests to escape the divine anger.
The second age was associated with the color white, with the element of wind, and with the monkey. The myth of the second age, like the myth of the first, reflects the Mexica sense of the fragility of human existence and the danger of divine punishment.
The Third Sun: Nahui-Quiahuitl, the Sun of Rain
The third sun, called Nahui-Quiahuitl, the “Four Rain,” was ruled by Tlaloc, the rain god, in his aspect as the bringer of storms. The third age was one of agricultural abundance, with the people living in harmony with the natural world. The third sun was destroyed when a great rain of fire fell from the sky, burning the people and the buildings they had constructed. The destruction is said to have been the work of Tlaloc, who was angry at the people for their failure to honor the rain, and who unleashed a rain of fire to punish them. The few humans who survived were transformed into turkeys, and they retreated to the forests to escape the divine anger.
The third age was associated with the color red, with the element of fire, and with the turkey. The myth of the third age reflects the Mexica awareness of the destructive power of nature, particularly the danger of drought and of volcanic activity, and it reinforced the Mexica sense of the need to honor the gods of nature.
The Fourth Sun: Nahui-Atl, the Sun of Water
The fourth sun, called Nahui-Atl, the “Four Water,” was ruled by Chalchiuhtlicue, the water goddess. The fourth age was one of relative prosperity, with the people living in villages and cultivating the land. The fourth sun was destroyed when a great flood covered the earth, drowning the people and the buildings they had constructed. The destruction is said to have been the work of Tlaloc, who was angry at the people for their failure to honor the water, and who unleashed a great flood to punish them. The few humans who survived were transformed into fish, and they retreated to the waters to escape the divine anger.
The fourth age was associated with the color blue, with the element of water, and with the fish. The myth of the fourth age reflects the Mexica awareness of the destructive power of water, particularly the danger of flooding, and it reinforced the Mexica sense of the need to honor the gods of water.
The Fifth Sun: Nahui-Ollin, the Sun of Movement
The fifth sun, called Nahui-Ollin, the “Four Movement,” is the present age, in which we are still living. The fifth sun was created by the gods at a great gathering at Teotihuacan, where the gods met to determine who would become the new sun. The gods selected Nanahuatzin, a small and humble god who had been covered with sores, to become the sun, and Tecciztecatl, a rich and proud god, to become the moon. The gods were required to sacrifice themselves to set the cosmos in motion, and they built a great fire at Teotihuacan and required Nanahuatzin and Tecciztecatl to leap into the flames.
Nanahuatzin leapt into the fire without hesitation, and he became the sun. Tecciztecatl, who had hesitated, also leapt into the fire, and he became the moon. Yet because Tecciztecatl had hesitated, the moon was given a dimmer light than the sun. The new sun, however, refused to move across the sky, and the gods were required to sacrifice themselves to convince him to begin his daily journey. The gods died one by one, and the sun began to move.
The fifth age is associated with the center, with the day sign Ollin, and with the cosmic struggle between order and chaos. The Mexica believed that the fifth sun was destined to end in earthquakes, a fate that could be postponed only by proper ritual and by the constant feeding of the gods with blood and human hearts. The awareness of the cosmic fragility gave Mexica religion its characteristic tone of anxious urgency, and it provided the religious justification for the Mexica practice of human sacrifice.
The Creation of Humanity
The Mexica believed that the gods had created the present humanity in the days after the destruction of the fourth sun. According to the myth recorded in the Florentine Codex, the god Quetzalcoatl descended to the underworld, Mictlan, to recover the bones of the previous humans, who had been destroyed in the great flood. The lord of the underworld, Mictlantecuhtli, agreed to give Quetzalcoatl the bones on the condition that he could keep some of them. Quetzalcoatl agreed, and he took the bones and brought them to the surface of the earth. The gods then performed a ceremony to give the bones new life, and they transformed them into the first humans of the present age.
The myth of the creation of humanity ranks among the most important in the Mexica tradition, and it is rich in symbolism. The bones of the previous humans represent the inheritance of the past, and the divine ceremony that gave them life represents the renewal of the cosmic order. The myth also establishes the relationship between the humans and the gods, with the humans owing their existence to the divine sacrifice and the divine will.
The Significance of the Five Suns
The Mexica creation myth is important for several reasons. First, it provides a framework for understanding Mexica religious belief and ritual practice. The Mexica practice of human sacrifice was based on the belief that the gods required constant feeding to keep the cosmos in motion, and the myth of the five suns provided the religious justification for this practice. Second, the myth provides a framework for understanding Mexica history. The Mexica believed that they were living in the last age of the cosmos, and that the end of the world was approaching. This awareness of cosmic fragility gave Mexica history its characteristic sense of urgency.
The myth of the five suns also reflects the Mexica sense of identity and mission. The Mexica believed that they had been chosen by the gods to play a special role in the cosmic order, and that their imperial ambitions were part of the divine plan. The myth of the five suns is therefore central to understanding Mexica religion, Mexica history, and Mexica imperial ideology.
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See also:
- What happened to the previous suns? — the destruction of the previous eras
- How were humans created in the Aztec myth? — the creation of the present humanity
- What is the Aztec story of the Fifth Sun? — the birth of the present age
- Major Gods of the Aztec Pantheon — the gods of the creation myth
- Human Sacrifice in Aztec Religion — the ritual response to the cosmic threat
- Aztec Religion and Mythology — the broader context