Huītzilōpōchtli

In Aztec mythic narrative Huītzilōpōchtli is born of Coatlicue on Mount Coatepec (Serpent Hill). In the Coatlicue/Coatepec account he bursts from his mother's womb fully armed and grown, defends her by beheading his sister Coyolxauhqui and scattering his male siblings (the Centzonuitznaua) across the sky; the brothers become the stars and the sister is associated with the moon. In some origin variants he acts alongside Quetzalcōātl in creative acts (e.g., creating fire, the first humans, the Earth, and the Sun).

Iconography and naming emphasize hummingbird imagery (huītzilin) and martial/solar motifs. The deity is associated with the xiuhcoatl, the fire-serpent weapon he wields, linking him to fire and serpentine imagery; mythic narrative describes him as emerging fully armed at birth. Visual portrayals appear across indigenous pictorial sources such as the codices and the Florentine Codex corpus, though the provided excerpts do not give a single standardized portrait. Scholarly discussion of the name notes compound ambiguity (huītzilin + ōpōchtli) and hummingbird symbolism conveys spiritual meaning beyond a literal bird form.

Huītzilōpōchtli functions as or is identified with the Sun and is described as perpetually engaged in combat with darkness: his brothers become the stars and his sister the moon, explaining the sun chasing moon and stars. He is a warrior-deity wielding the xiuhcoatl (fire-serpent) and in myth performs violent acts (e.g., the beheading of Coyolxauhqui). He has creative roles in some accounts alongside other major deities. In Aztec religious belief he requires nourishment in the form of human blood and hearts—ritual sacrifices presented by priests and warriors are framed as necessary to sustain the sun and avert cosmic catastrophe (for example to ensure survival across the 52-year cycle).