Teotl
Encyclopedia
Teotl is a central idea of Aztec religion
. The Nahuatl term is often translated as "god", but it may have held more abstract aspects of the numinous
or divine, akin to the Polynesian concept of Mana
. In Pipil mythology Teotl is known merely as the creator and the father of life. The nature of "Teotl" has been an ongoing discussion between scholars for many years.
Teotl is also a key element in the understanding of the fall of the Aztec empire
, because it seems that the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II
and the Aztecs in general referred to Cortés
and the conquistadors as "Teotl" - it has been widely believed that this means that they believed them to be Gods, but a better understanding of "teotl" might suggest that they were merely seen as "mysterious" and "inexplicable".
Aztec religion
Aztec religion is the Mesoamerican religion practiced by the Aztec empire. Like other Mesoamerican religions, it had elements of human sacrifice in connection with a large number of religious festivals which were held according to patterns of the Aztec calendar...
. The Nahuatl term is often translated as "god", but it may have held more abstract aspects of the numinous
Numinous
Numinous is an English adjective describing the power or presence of a divinity. The word was popularised in the early twentieth century by the German theologian Rudolf Otto in his influential book Das Heilige...
or divine, akin to the Polynesian concept of Mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
. In Pipil mythology Teotl is known merely as the creator and the father of life. The nature of "Teotl" has been an ongoing discussion between scholars for many years.
Teotl is also a key element in the understanding of the fall of the Aztec empire
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
, because it seems that the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
and the Aztecs in general referred to Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
and the conquistadors as "Teotl" - it has been widely believed that this means that they believed them to be Gods, but a better understanding of "teotl" might suggest that they were merely seen as "mysterious" and "inexplicable".