Huitzilopochtli in Mesoamerican tradition
War and the sun meet in Huitzilopochtli, whose identity joins death with renewal. He is a Mesoamerican deity linked with sacrifice, Mexica migration, Tenochtitlan and Mexica identity, and he is the blue god associated with the South among four divine sons. Unlike a deity defined only by the sun, Huitzilopochtli is also a war god and patron of the Mexica, while traditions differ over whether he began as a leader or hero before becoming a god.
The quick answers
Who is Huitzilopochtli?
Huitzilopochtli is a Mesoamerican deity associated with the sun; War and warfare; Sacrifice; Mexica migration; and Tenochtitlan and Mexica identity.Source
Source
- Aztec Mythology
- Essential Visual History of World Mythology
- The Oxford Companion to World Mythology
What is Huitzilopochtli the god of?
Huitzilopochtli is associated with the sun; War and warfare; Sacrifice; Mexica migration; and Tenochtitlan and Mexica identity.Source
Source
- Aztec Mythology
- Essential Visual History of World Mythology
What family links are recorded for Huitzilopochtli?
Father: Ometecuhtli, Mother: Coatlicue, 5 siblings.
Huitzilopochtli’s family, at a glance
The names Huitzilopochtli answers to
Mexitli
A traditional name associated with the Mexica and Huitzilopochtli
SourceEssential Visual History of World Mythology
Xiuhpilli
Turquoise Prince
SourceEssential Visual History of World Mythology
Blue Tezcatlipoca
His identification as the blue aspect of Tezcatlipoca
SourceThe Oxford Companion to World Mythology
The Hummingbird of the South
A common translation of his name
SourceEssential Visual History of World Mythology
The myths of Huitzilopochtli
3 myths, with sources recorded for each.
Huitzilopochtli Abandons Malinalxochitl
Huitzilopochtli ordered the people of Aztlan to leave their homeland and search for a new one. He renamed them the Mexica and promised to remain at their side. The Mexica travelled southward into central Mexico. Along the way, they established towns before continuing towards their final homeland.
Huitzilopochtli placed the Mexica under the care of his sister, Malinalxochitl. She was a goddess associated with snakes and scorpions, and she caused trouble for the travelling people. While the Mexica journeyed, Huitzilopochtli put Malinalxochitl to sleep. He then departed with the Mexica and left her behind.
Malinalxochitl awoke and found that her brother and the Mexica had gone. She established the settlement of Malinalco, which took its name from her. Huitzilopochtli continued to guide the Mexica southward as they searched for the place where they would build their homeland.
The Mexica eventually reached Lake Texcoco. There, an eagle holding a snake revealed the place that Huitzilopochtli had chosen for their homeland. The eagle stood on a cactus that grew from a rock rising out of the lake. The rock represented the island where the Mexica built their capital, Tenochtitlan.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Aztec MythologyT1
- 2the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“Huitzilopochtli left Malinalxochitl behind after putting her to sleep, while he continued guiding the Mexica towards their destined homeland.”
the ancient sources
- 3Aztec MythologyT1
The Birth of Huitzilopochtli
At Coatepec, Coatlicue became pregnant through a miracle. One account says that an obsidian knife impregnated her. Another says that, while she was sweeping a temple, a ball of feathers entered her. Coatlicue was the Mother of the Gods, also called Teteoinan, and wore a skirt of snakes. Her necklace was made from human hearts and skulls. She had already given birth to Coyolxauhqui and the stars, known as the Centzon Huitznahua, the four hundred gods of the stars.
Coatlicue’s children became angry when they learned of her pregnancy. Coyolxauhqui led the attack against their mother at Coatepec. They decapitated Coatlicue, but Huitzilopochtli then emerged from her body. He came fully armed and carried Xiuhcoatl, the serpent weapon associated with him.
Huitzilopochtli attacked Coyolxauhqui and the Centzon Huitznahua. He killed Coyolxauhqui and defeated the star gods. In this account, Coatlicue’s pregnancy brought forth the sun and warrior god who opposed the forces of darkness. Her body gave birth to a god who destroyed the attackers.
Another account says that the feather ball led Coatlicue to give birth to Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl. Other passages describe Huitzilopochtli as one of four divine sons of Ometeotl, alongside Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca, and Quetzalcoatl. These accounts preserve different genealogies for the god.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Aztec MythologyT1
- 2Aztec MythologyT1
- 3the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“At Coatepec, Huitzilopochtli emerged fully armed from Coatlicue, killed Coyolxauhqui, and defeated the Centzon Huitznahua after they attacked their mother.”
the ancient sources
Huitzilopochtli Kills Copil
Huitzilopochtli ordered the people of Aztlan to leave their homeland and search for a new place to settle. He renamed them the Mexica and placed them under the care of his sister Malinalxochitl, a goddess associated with snakes and scorpions. During the migration, Malinalxochitl gave birth to Copil.
Copil later turned against the Mexica. He incited their enemies to attack them, and Huitzilopochtli confronted him. Copil lost the fight. Huitzilopochtli killed him, and his heart was thrown into the middle of Lake Texcoco.
The god then commanded the Mexica to search for the heart. They found it in the lake and received further instructions to build their city at that place. The Mexica followed Huitzilopochtli’s command and established Tenochtitlan in the lake, on the site marked by Copil’s heart.
Huitzilopochtli was regarded as a god of the sun and war, and as the patron of Tenochtitlan. He was also counted among the four gods responsible for creation. He was represented as a feathered man carrying Xiuhcoatl, a magical serpent weapon. Lake Texcoco was treated as a sacred place, and the city’s location was understood as one chosen by the god. Tenochtitlan became the capital of the Mexica. The site later became part of present-day Mexico City. A related emblem shows an eagle holding a snake while standing on a cactus growing from a rock in a lake. The rock represents the island where the Mexica built Tenochtitlan.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Aztec MythologyT1
- 2the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“Huitzilopochtli killed Copil, cast his heart into Lake Texcoco, and directed the Mexica to found their city where they discovered it.”
the ancient sources
- 3Aztec MythologyT1
Also mentioned in
Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Huitzilopochtli, each on that figure’s page.
- Coatlicue Conceives Huitzilopochtli · on Coatlicue
- The Birth of the Four Tezcatlipocas · on Tezcatlipoca
1 work catalogued
This catalogue brings together reviewed connections and candidates for Huitzilopochtli: reworks first, then references, then names used as atmosphere. A row is not proof by itself. Reviewed connections appear in Overview, beneath a story or under The wider mythology.
Showing 1 of 1 works.
Film1
- AVVA: huitzilopochtliName only
A catalogue row is not proof by itself. Reviewed connections appear in Overview, beneath a story or under The wider mythology.
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About this page
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2 sources are cited on this page and listed below.
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MythSource. (n.d.). Huitzilopochtli. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/huitzilopochtli
"Huitzilopochtli." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/huitzilopochtli.
"Huitzilopochtli." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/huitzilopochtli.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the sources listed above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only confirmed connections are presented as modern retellings in Overview.