DISC OF MICTLANTECUHTLI. (God of Death). 45CM. Exact replica

Description

DISC OF MICTLANTECUHTLI (god of death). 45CM. Exact replica
Life cannot exist without death, that is why I am here. My name is Mictlantecuhtli and within the Mexican mythology I am the lord of darkness. In my kingdom, called Mictlán, I welcome all humans who die naturally.
I was created by the gods Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcóatl on the Omeyocan, a place equivalent to heaven. They thought that to value life, you had to create the god of death. How can you love the light without knowing the shadow? For that, only for that I am here.
My name is pronounced in Nahuatl. It is made up of two words: Mictlán, mansion of the dead, and Tecutli, sir. And it translates as "the lord of the mansion of the dead."
I am the one who rules over the death of human beings, but at the same time I am the giver of life. Why? One day Quetzalcóatl went down to the underworld and deposited his semen on some ground bones that gave life to man.
Since then I have kept those remains and they all relate me to the seed of life. In some codices I was represented preceding birth and disappointment. Some anthropologists have posed it as life and death in one unit.
In Mesoamerica, a territory that was so immersed, there were several dialects. That is why I was named in different ways, including: Ixtupec, which means broken face; Sextepehua, the ash spreader and Tzontemoc, the one who goes down on his head.
How is this to lower the head? The Mictlán is located under the ground and to access it people have to move down and the fastest way is to dive head first.
When the Spanish arrived in our land, missionaries appeared who translated Mictlán as hell and my name as the devil. They could only imagine the world through their religion, but this was their great mistake.
Mictlán is not a place of darkness, nor a place of punishment, it is simply the home of the dead, of the emaciated. Even when the Sun disappears on the horizon it goes to my home and that is when the dead rise from their sleep.
I tell you that my kingdom has nine levels. The souls had to go through each one until they reached the last level, but you won't know until your day arrives.
The levels are:
1.- Apanoayan: All the deceased must access a river where a dog is found and helps them swim by piggyback.
2.- Tepeme Monamictia: Place where there are two mountains that always collide one against the other.
3.- Iztepetl: It means obsidian hill and as its name says it is a hill bristling with flint knives.
4.- Cehuecayan: Place where it freezes, it is another place that souls must pass.
5.- Itzehecáyan: Place where the obsidian wind blows; that is to say, it cuts like a flint knife.
6.- Teocoylehualoyan: Space where a jaguar appears and devours the heart of the deceased.
7.- Apanhuiayo: It is a lake of black water where a lizard called Xochitonal is found and tries to stop the passage of the deceased.
8.- Chiconauapan: This is the last place to get to Mictlán. The deceased reaches the bank of a river.
9.- Finally, the soul enters its destination: Mictlán, where my sweet home is.
But beware, not everyone will come with me. The great Mexica warriors and women who died in childbirth go to the abode of the Sun, every day they accompany him until noon. After four years they become hummingbirds and can come down to earth to feed on the nectar of the flowers.
Those who die drowned or by lightning go to Tlalocan, a place of delights with a green garden full of flowers, where the god Tláloc reigns.
Babies who are stillborn or who have not tasted solid food head to Chichihuacuauhco, a place with a nurse tree full of breast-shaped fruits, where the little ones drink milk.
Finally, I remind you that death comes everywhere when you least expect it. Life passes like a quick shadow. All those who die a natural death will come to my home, no matter if they are men or women, or their social class. I will receive all of them. See you soon.
In the center of the monolith is carved the face of Tonatiuh, known by the Aztecs as the fifth solar god (his name means tona: to make sun, tiuh: to go) and who was the leader of the sky.
The Aztec Calendar was discovered on December 17, 1790. It is located next to the current Zócalo of Mexico City.
The carved stone has a circular arrangement resembling the sun. In the center of the monument is the face of the solar god Tonatiuh. His tongue is shaped like a knife as a symbol of the human sacrifice that should be offered to the sun god to feed him and that he be reborn every day from the east (dawn), after his journey to the underworld (dusk).
the first ring
In the first ring, 20 figures are carved that symbolize the 20 days of the Mexica calendar, the first being the alligator (Cipactli), followed by the monkey (Ozomatl), the wind (Ehécalt), grass (Malinalli), house ( Calli), cane (Acatl), lizard (Cuetzpalin), jaguar (Ocelotl), snake (Cóatl), eagle (Cuauhtli), Skull (Miquiztli), Buzzard (Cozcacuauhtli), Deer (Mázatl), Tremor (Ollin), Rabbit ( Tóchtli), Flint(Tecpatl), Water(Atl), Rain(Quiahuitl), Dog(Izcuintli), Flower(Xóchitl).
the second ring
In this ring are a series of square sections containing five points representing the days.
The eight angles that divide the monument into eight parts may possibly represent the rays of the sun placed in the direction of the cardinal points.
the third ring
In the third ring are the jaws of two fire serpents (Xiuhcóatl), which surround the stone and face each other at the bottom.
Each section of them symbolizes the flames of fire and 52 annual cycles in which the Mexica century would be distributed. Each closing of the cycle was celebrated with the New Fire ceremony.
the fourth ring
In the fourth ring the stars of the night sky are carved. It contains 58 small circles that end in bands of amatl or amate paper, typically used during the pre-Hispanic period.
Meaning of the Aztec Calendar
The Aztecs considered the sun god as one of their main deities. They believed that they were the people chosen by the imposing star for their subsistence. For this reason, the Aztecs had to ensure that the sun fulfilled its process of rising at dawn and hiding at sunset, offering human sacrifices through rituals.
Likewise, war and harvests had to be carried out at certain times of the year, in this way, the Stone of the Sun for the Aztec culture, ensured that the fulfillment of the future followed a constant and stable order.
Aztec Calendar Function
There are several interpretations about the function of the calendar, because despite being related to the distribution of time, it is also believed that the stone had other additional uses, such as having been a combat platform for warriors.
It is also believed that the main function of the calendar was to help specify the times of the harvests and the rituals with which all the gods of the culture were honored.