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Mythos Atlas

Mesoamerican Pantheon

Mictlantecuhtli

Also known as Lord of Mictlan, Lord of the Dead

Illustration of Mictlantecuhtli, a deity of the Mesoamerican Pantheon
Illustrative imageIllustration of Mictlantecuhtli. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • death
  • underworld
  • the north

The Aztec god of death and ruler of Mictlan, the deepest underworld realm. A skeletal figure wearing owl feathers, Mictlantecuhtli received the souls of those who died of natural causes.

About Mictlantecuhtli

Lord of the Dead

Mictlantecuhtli rules Mictlan, the deepest of the nine levels of the Aztec underworld. His name means "Lord of Mictlan." He is depicted as a skeletal figure wearing owl feathers.

The Nine Levels of Mictlan

Mictlan was the destination for those who died ordinary deaths. The journey took four years and involved passing through nine levels of trials.

Mictecacihuatl

Mictlantecuhtli's consort is Mictecacihuatl, Lady of the Dead. She is associated with Dia de los Muertos traditions.

The Bones of Humanity

In the creation myth, Quetzalcoatl descended to Mictlan to retrieve the bones of previous humanity from Mictlantecuhtli.

North and Darkness

Mictlantecuhtli is associated with the north, the direction of death in Aztec cosmology.

Origin story

Mictlantecuhtli has existed since the beginning, for death came into being with the first life. He was assigned rulership over Mictlan and guards the bones of previous human creations.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Mictlantecuhtli's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Mictlantecuhtli

Skeletal lord of the ninth underworld. Funerary dogs and jade beads are the cult. He receives; he is not processed like a flower god.

Sacred sites

  • Templo Mayor death precinct; Mictlan as destination not a visit

Festivals

  • Related to funerary provision more than a joy-feast

Family

with
Mictecacihuatl
Mictlantecuhtli
Questions about Mictlantecuhtli's family
Who were Mictlantecuhtli's spouses and consorts?
Spouses and consorts of Mictlantecuhtli recorded in the atlas: Mictecacihuatl.

In the atlas

Where Mictlantecuhtli appears

Sources and further reading

Source notes

These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.

  • Leyenda de los Soles

    Catalog date: 16th Century

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Mictlantecuhtli's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree