Tonatiuh

The Fifth Sun

Tonatiuh ("He Who Goes Forth Shining") was the sun of the current world age, the Fifth Sun. In Aztec cosmology, four previous suns had been destroyed, each ending in cataclysm. Tonatiuh was the current sun, and the Aztecs believed he required human blood and hearts to maintain his journey across the sky.

The Sun Stone

The famous Aztec Sun Stone (often miscalled the "calendar stone") bears Tonatiuh's face at its center. His tongue protrudes as a sacrificial knife, demanding blood. The stone depicts the four previous suns that were destroyed and the current age that will end in earthquakes.

Birth at Teotihuacan

In the creation myth, the gods gathered at Teotihuacan to create a new sun. The proud god Tecciztecatl hesitated to throw himself into the sacred fire, but the humble Nanahuatzin leaped in without hesitation and became the sun. Shamed, Tecciztecatl followed and became the moon. Both were equally bright until a god threw a rabbit at the moon, dimming it.

The Need for Sacrifice

The newborn sun refused to move across the sky. Only when the other gods sacrificed themselves by having their hearts torn out did Tonatiuh begin his journey. This mythic precedent established that the sun requires hearts to continue moving, justifying the Aztec practice of human sacrifice.

The Warrior Sun

Slain warriors were believed to accompany Tonatiuh across the sky for four years before being transformed into hummingbirds and butterflies. This honor was shared by women who died in childbirth, considered equivalent to dying in battle.