Zoe Saadia

The World of the Fifth Sun, Part II

August 2, 2012Moctezuma Xocoyotzin @TlatoaniMocte

In the first part of of # LeyendasMexicas tonight I talked about the four failed attempts of the gods to creat the perfect world.
So now I will tell you what happened next.

The world was a total darkness and the only thing that had lit it was Huehueteotl – the Sacred Fire of the Gods.
So the Gods decided to give the strength to the new sun by throwing themselves into the fire, this sacrificing themselves by burning to death.
Yet, no one dared to do so, for the fear of the Sacred Fire, and because the gods were not made for sacrifice.
Then Nanahuatzin rose to his feet. He was a sick god, full of pustules, known for his great capacity for sacrifice.
Seeing this, Tecuciztecatl, the Lord of the Shells, a very proud god, also decided to get up to outshine the other gods.
These two gods represented the humility and the pride, respectively.
They did penance for four days to prepare to be thrown into the sacred fire – one with majestic gifts and the other humbly.
Such was the difference between the two gods that even their clothing upon the day of the sacrifice differed.
Nanahuatzin wore a humble paper dress that barely covered his body, while Tecuciztecatl wore a rich canvas, with beautiful colorful feathers adorning his head.
The other gods gathered before the fire, to see the sacrifice of their comrades, expectant of what might happen.
Tecuciztecatl’s attempted to launch into the fire first, but the heat was so great, he kept away, unable to overcome his fear. Four times he tried to jump into the fire, and four times the Lord of the Shells failed to pass the intensity of the heat.

Finally, Tecuiciztecatl stepped aside to give the turn to Nanahuatzin, whom the other gods shouted for support.
Without hesitation, Nanahuatzin jumped into the burning fire, and the gods looked with amazement at what happened next.
The fire made a big flame that came out and went up to the sky to touch it and then disappear.
Tecuiciztecatl, when he saw it decided to try again, because it would allow him to shine stronger than Nanahuatzin.
The fire did the same once Tecuiciztecatl launched into it. The flare again touched the sky and disappeared.

The gods then looked in all directions not knowing where the new sun will appear.

Only Tezcatlipoca and Quetzallcoatl knew and they looked toward the East and beyond it.
Then, along came two stars that shone so strongly that it was impossible to watch them, even for the gods.
And so The World of the Fifth Sun, as we know it today, had begun, with the appearance of the sun and moon. The sun’s movement.
Then the gods began arguing as to whether these two stars must govern with the same intensity.
The various legends that make up the mythology have two different versions at this time.
One says that 1600 gods who were currently in Teotihuacan began battling against the stars. But the strength of the two suns was such that it could kill the most.
Yet, Tecuiciztecatl could not handle the strength of all the gods and died after being thrown a rabbit into his face.
Other legends say that the gods decided peacefully that Tecuiciztecatl, because of his cowardice, will shine less powerfully than Nanahuatzin. To make a point they threw a rabbit against the Moon God to lower its intensity. It was released with such force that the rabbit was marked on the face of the Lord of the snails, and thus achieving lower its intensity.
Either part of the legend about the rabbit make sense as it still could be seen on the moon today.

And so, there were already the sun and the moon, one higher than the other. But none of them moved.
The gods were upset by the intense light and said it would be impossible to live in the world of such an intense light of the two gods.
They decided to sacrifice all on fire in order to give the movement to the gods, but all they made were stars that shone less brightly than Nanahuatzin, who at that time had changed its name to Tonatiuh, the Sun God.
Then Quetzalcoatl decided to move the stars with the wind, and so the sun and the moon began to separate, with the moon always weaker than the sun. But Tecuitecatl, reluctant to let Tonatiuh win, turned it into an eternal chase between the gods that will never see the face of each other, because when one rests the other is following his path.
And so the movement of the Fifth Sun was created.
According to legend the sun would be destroyed by a great catastrophe of movement.
Then Quetzalcoatl decided to create people, but he did not know where the bones of the previous ones were left. Searching the world, he had finally found them in Mictlan where Mictlantecuhtli had hidden them. A struggle ensued and Mictlantecuhtli managed to throw Quetzalcoatl into a pit, where the great Feathered Serpent had died, but resurrected years later, still having the bones in his possession.

He then went to Cihuacoatl, who had helped him to grind the bones until they were turned into ashes and so the men were created.
And so these men, that would not be entirely perfect, worship the gods as they should. And never forgot them.
To recognize the sacrifice of Tonatiuh, the Sun God, people sacrificed daily.
As you know we, the Mexica peoples, adopted many different things of conquist?bamos, including religion. So there is much difference in the names of the gods now.
Tonatiuh and Huitzilopochtli are both the gods of the sun, because each is part of a different legend.
The four previous suns represented several things in Aztec mythology.

First each of the four suns representing the North, South, East and West.

Each of the four suns represented the appearance of the animals with which they lived.

Each of the four suns represented one of the four elements – Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

Tlacaelel was who had made us see that only the Mexicans were able to stop the next cataclysm that would end the Fifth Sun.
We were chosen to avoid the same fate that all inhabitants of the old suns had faced.
We were the people with the mission, chosen by the gods to live next to the Fifth Sun.
We were elected not to disappoint the gods and make them feel proud of their creation – the men.
We were then the Mexicans more than just residents of the Fifth Sun. We were the partners of the gods, required to assist them and make sure the Fifth Sun would never come to an end.
And so we did it for a long time until our empire came to an end.
According to the Mayans, the brilliant minds that inhabited the south of my empire, the end of the Fifth Sun would come in the distant future.
Although not as distant to you.
It is believed that a great cataclysm or an earthquake will destroy the sun’s movement./
And so I’m passing to the gods the decision of whether to elect the Sixth Sun.
And so then we end tonight with the # LeyendasMexicas

Source:   http://blog.zoesaadia.com/historia-en-el-calmecac/the-world-of-the-fifth-sun-part-ii/