Depictions of him show him wearing a flayed skin and holding a weapon, a shield, or a jug filled with grain. Xipe wears a red "swallowtail" headdress with a red ribbon or a conical hat and a skirt of zapote leaves. The Flayed One does not have a skin of his own so his followers flay a carefully-chosen sacrifice to do so. Xipe Totec’s Temple Xipe Totec’s dark, cave-like temple was called Yopico (‘the place of Yopi’, Xipe Totec’s Zapotec name). Xipe Totec was also associated with disease, death, and rebirth. [14] New vegetation was represented by putting on the new skin of a flayed captive because it symbolized the vegetation the earth puts on when the rain comes. [6] Xipe Totec is associated with pimples, inflammation and eye diseases,[11][12] and possibly plague. [31] The central ritual act of "Tlacaxipehualiztli" was the gladiatorial sacrifice of war prisoners, which both began and culminated the festival. Fernández 1992, 1996, p.60. To worship him, the people who did sacrifices took the skins of captured soldiers and wore them. There they remained forever in the same state that they had lived in. [7], Xipe Totec connected agricultural renewal with warfare. In Aztec mythology, Xipe was the son of the dual male-female divinity Ometeotl, a powerful fertility god and the most ancient god in the Aztec pantheon. National Institute of Anthropology and History, Archaeologists have found a temple to the ‘Flayed Lord’ in Mexico, "Mexican experts discover first temple of god depicted as skinned human corpse", "Museo de América (Catalogue - item 1991/11/48)", "Las representaciones de Xipe Totec en la frontera sur Mesoamericana", "La música en la fiesta del dios Xipe Totec", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xipe_Totec&oldid=996712957, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Articles containing Classical Nahuatl-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 December 2020, at 06:05. Name: Xipe Totec Pronunciation: Coming soon Alternative names: Xipe. The victim was given a sword (macuahuitl) to fight with, but the obsidian blades of the sword were replaced by feathers. [40] The spilling of the victim's blood to the ground was symbolic of the desired abundant rainfall, with a hopeful result of plentiful crops. Xipe Totec also often holds a cup in one hand and a shield in the other; but in some depictions, Xipe holds a chicahuaztli, a staff terminating in a point with a hollow rattling head filled with pebbles or seeds. The gladiator sacrifice involved tying an especially brave captive warrior to a large, carved circular stone and forcing him to fight a … In charge of: Agriculture and Farming Area of expertise: Agriculture, Farming. Adventure Fanfiction Fantasy Aztec Mythology Xipe Totec Tezcatlipoca ... Quetzalcoatl Huitzilopotchli Chicomecoatl Tonatiuh Itzpapalotl Blood Sacrifice Gore Mythology Mexica Skin Deep tells the story of four Aztec Gods who set out on a journey across the land to retrieve four mystical hidden items left by their parent, the dual god Ometeotl. Statues and carvings of Xipe Totec have turned up at archaeological sites scattered all over Mexico and Central America, but archaeologists with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) say they’ve found the first […] The opposing band was composed of daring soldiers who were brave and fearless, and who took part in the combat with the others. A satrap was adorned in the skin taken from one of the captives in order to appear like Xipe Totec. More specifically, flaying is associated with the cycle of American corn (maize) as it sheds its external seed covering when it is ready to germinate. Hij regeerde over de landbouw en de seizoenen. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.422. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.468. Those skins were painted and then worn by others during a ceremony and in this manner, they would be transformed into the living image ("teotl ixiptla") of Xipe Totec. Xipe Totec was but one of the gods that the Aztecs sought to appease through human sacrifice. It is thought that Xipe Totec was introduced into the Aztec pantheon during the kingdom of the emperor Axayácatl (ruled 1468–1481). [6] The female equivalent of Xipe Totec was the goddess Xilonen-Chicomecoatl. While in the houses, they sat down on sheaves of tzapote leaves and put on necklaces which were made of ears of corn and flowers. [45] Among this group, those who stole gold or silver were sacrificed to Xipe Totec. Often, as here, the skin shows the great chest wound that resulted from the victim’s heart having been ripped from him in an act of ritual sacrifice. "flaying of men"). Xipe Totec was believed by the Aztecs to be the god that invented war. ... As xipe totec was the god of spring, a festival was dedicated to him every spring time. [27] The deity also had a malevolent side as Xipe Totec was said to cause rashes, pimples, inflammations and eye infections. The deity was honored with a dance and ended in a war exercise. This deity was the patron deity of the city of Cempoala, the capital of the Totonacs during the Postclassic period, and is thought to have been adopted from there. People who died natural deaths reached Mictlan (the underworld) only after the soul passed through nine difficult levels, a four-year-long journey. The worship of Xipe Totec was common along the Gulf Coast during the Early Postclassic. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.423. This deity is of uncertain origin. The goldsmiths, however, used their religion to punish those who wronged them. [15], This deity is of uncertain origin. The skin symbolizes the outer husk of a seed prior to germination. The image of Xipe Totec is easily recognizable in statues, figurines, and other portraits because his body is depicted as completely covered by the skin of a sacrificial victim. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our. On the dress, they put a crown made of rich feathers, which was also a wig of false hair. His adversary was fully armed and dressed for battle. Xipe Totec’s fertility cult selected victims from war captives and slaves. [36] During the festival, victorious warriors wearing flayed skins carried out mock skirmishes throughout Tenochtitlan, they passed through the city begging alms and blessed whoever gave them food or other offerings. Xipe Totec was venerated by the Toltecs and Aztecs . The victims of this sacrifice would be killed and then flayed—their skins removed in large pieces. The flayed skins were often taken from sacrificial victims who had their hearts cut out, and some representations of Xipe Totec show a stitched-up wound in the chest. Xi-pe To-tec) or ‘Flayed One’ in Nahuatl, was a major god in ancient Mesoamerican culture and particularly important for the Toltecs and Aztecs. The Petroglyphic Prayers on the Sun Stone of Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, The Flayed God and His Rattle-Stick: A Shamanic Element in Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican Religion, Ph.D., Anthropology, University of California Riverside, M.A., Anthropology, University of California Riverside, Xipe Totec ("Our Lord the Flayed One") is the Aztec god of fertility, abundance, and agricultural renewal, He is most often illustrated as a priest or shaman wearing the skin of another person, He was one of the four gods who make up the Aztec underworld, Cult activities in honor of Xipe Totec were the gladiator and arrow sacrifices. Xipe Totec emerging from rotting, flayed skin after twenty days symbolised rebirth and the renewal of the seasons, the casting off of the old and the growth of new vegetation. Nuestra Señora De Las Sombras: The Enigmatic Identity of Santa Muerte. Before this sacrifice, the victims were taken through the streets as a warning to others. [39], "Arrow sacrifice" was another method used by the worshippers of Xipe Totec. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.422. In the Aztec cosmos, death was not a thing to be feared, because the afterlife was a continuation of life in another realm. He is usually painted yellow or gold to symbolize abundance. [22] He frequently had vertical stripes running down from his forehead to his chin, running across the eyes. Plate depicting god of earth and spring, known as Xipe Totec, "Our Lord The Flayed One." [22] His body is often painted yellow on one side and tan on the other. ‘The Fight Between the Sacrifice and He Who Sacrifices’ by Juan de Tovar, circa 1546-1626. There was a celebration for this god called Tlacaxipehualiztli. [43], Another instance of sacrifice was done by a group of metalworkers who were located in the town of Atzcapoatzalco, who held Xipe Totec in special veneration. Franke J. Neumann 1976, p. 254. [23] One Xipe Totec sculpture was carved from volcanic rock, and portrays a man standing on a small pedestal. Worshipped with human sacrifice, his priests wore the victims’ skins as ceremonial attire. Neumann 1976, p.255. The four-foot (1.2 meter) tall statue was reconstructed and is currently on display at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia (INAH) in Mexico City. The bodies were flayed, and the skins dyed yellow to make Teocuitlaquemitl. Xipe was one of four gods intimately related to death and the Aztec underworld: Mictlantecuhtli and his feminine counterpart Mictecacihuatl, Coatlicue, and Xipe Totec. In Aztec mythology and religion, Xipe Totec ("Fleeced-Lord") was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, disease, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths and the seasons. Xipe Totec, Our Lord the Flayed One. In Aztec mythology and religion, Xipe Totec (/ˈʃiːpə ˈtoʊtɛk/; Classical Nahuatl: Xīpe Totēc [ˈʃiːpe ˈtoteːkʷ]) or Xipetotec[1] ("Our Lord the Flayed One")[2] was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east , spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths, liberation, and the seasons. They also wore skirts made of rich feathers and a wide gold necklace. The Aztec god Xipe Totec was clearly a late version of a pan-Mesoamerican god, with earlier versions of Xipe's compelling imagery found in places such as the classic Maya representation on Copan Stela3, and perhaps associated with the Maya God Q, he of violent death and execution. [9] His insignia included the pointed cap and rattle staff, which was the war attire for the Mexica emperor. The "owners of skins" sacrifice is that associated with Xipe Totec, those victims whose skins were removed and worn as costumes in rituals. It is likely that sculptures of Xipe Totec were ritually dressed in the flayed skin of sacrificial victims and wore sandals. Xipe Totec flayed himself to give food to humanity, symbolic of the maize seed losing the … The Popolucas built the temple in an area called Ndachjian-Tehuacan between AD 1000 and 1260 prior to Aztec invasion of the area.[18]. Without his skin, he was depicted as a golden god. (Psytrance) from Japan Transubtil records Producer,Dj MAZE SOUND [37], The goldsmiths also participated in Tlacaxipehualizti. Xipe Totec was widely worshipped in central Mexico at the time of the Spanish Conquest,[6] and was known throughout most of Mesoamerica. He wears a flat disc-shaped collar which has been interpreted by some scholars as the neck of the flayed victim and his face is striped with red and yellow bars. They were seated and offered Xipe Totec an uncooked tart of ground maize, many ears of corn that had been broken apart in order to get to the seeds, along with fruits and flowers. [39], "Gladiator sacrifice" is the name given to the form of sacrifice in which an especially courageous war captive was given mock weapons, tied to a large circular stone and forced to fight against a fully armed Aztec warrior. The entire city and rulers or nobles of enemy tribes would witness this ceremony. Fernández 1992, 1996, pp.60-63. ( Public Domain ) Insights into Xipe Totec . These ceremonies went on for twenty days, meanwhile the votaries of the god wore the skins. [3] Xipe Totec was also known by various other names, including Tlatlauhca (Nahuatl pronunciation: [t͡ɬaˈt͡ɬawʔka]), Tlatlauhqui Tezcatlipoca (Nahuatl pronunciation: [t͡ɬaˈt͡ɬawʔki teskat͡ɬiˈpoːka]) ("Red Smoking Mirror") and Youalahuan (Nahuatl pronunciation: [jowaˈlawan]) ("the Night Drinker"). The sacrificial victim was bound spread-eagled to a wooden frame, he was then shot with many arrows so that his blood spilled onto the ground. Xipe Totec refuses have a barrack dedicated to him. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, pp.54-5. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.171. [10] He had a temple called Yopico within the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. In some cases, some parts of the human skin covering is painted yellowish-gray. [7] Representations of the god have been found as far away as Mayapan in the Yucatán Peninsula. [21] His hands are bent in a position that appears to possibly hold a ceremonial object. Xipe Totec appears in codices with his right hand upraised and his left hand extending towards the front. In Aztec mythology, Xipe Totec ("our lord the flayed one") was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, the west, disease, spring, goldsmith s and the seasons. This was practiced on the second ritual month of the Aztec year and involved the killing of people through the removal of their hearts. Xipe Totec is the god of the shedding of skins, God of Seedtime, the elemental force of rebirth. [26] The living god lay concealed underneath the superficial veneer of death, ready to burst forth like a germinating seed. Xipe Totec ( pron. In the "arrow sacrifice," the victim was tied spread-eagled to a wooden frame and then shot full of arrows so that his blood dripped to the ground. Such offerings to the god of agriculture ensured that the rains would help the crops grow into a bountiful harvest. He was often the recipient of human sacrifices, with priests removing the skin of the victims as part of a special ritual in his honor. Nicoletta Maestri holds a Ph.D. in Mesoamerican archaeology with fieldwork experience in Italy, the Near East, and throughout Mesoamerica. Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.188. Their skins would … The gladiator sacrifice involved tying an especially brave captive warrior to a large, carved circular stone and forcing him to fight a mock battle with an experienced Mexica soldier. "The Aztec practice was to perform the sacrificial death in one or more places, but to ritually store the skins in another after they had been worn by living humans." Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.451-2. Posted by Xipe Totec | Wed Dec 28, 2016, 05:44 PM (0 replies) The Poinsettia - How a flower from Mexico became a world-wide symbol of Christmas The poinsettia (/pɔɪnˈsɛtiə/ or /pɔɪnˈsɛtə/) (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family. He was the god of rebirth and renewal of the seasons. Read more. [6] He was sometimes depicted with a yellow shield and carrying a container filled with seeds. For the Aztecs, Xipe Totec's removing his layer of skin symbolized the events that must happen to produce renewed growth that covers the earth each spring. The worship of this spirit involves a human sacrifice in a ritual of flaying human skin called Tlacazipehualizli. The masks used by Aztec priests and other "living images" portrayed in statuary show dead faces with crescent-shaped eyes and gaping mouths; often the hands of the flayed skin, sometimes decorated as fish scales, drape over the hands of the god. [33] Annually, slaves or captives were selected as sacrifices to Xipe Totec. They had them put on garlands and give them pulque to drink, which was their wine. He is associated with rejuvenation and spring time. Cult activities conducted in honor of Xipe Totec included two spectacular forms of sacrifice: the gladiator sacrifice and the arrow sacrifice. Xipe Totec's name was derived from the myth by which the god flayed—peeled and cut off—his own skin to feed humans. [4] The Tlaxcaltecs and the Huexotzincas worshipped a version of the deity under the name of Camaxtli,[5] and the god has been identified with Yopi, a Zapotec god represented on Classic Period urns. Gold ornaments were put in the nose and nasal septum. Xipe Totec, “Our Flayed Lord,” Aztec god of vegetation. Worshipped with human sacrifice, his priests wore the victims’ skins as ceremonial attire. Totec betekent "onze heer", Xipe "de gevilde ". The flayed skins were often taken from sacrificial victims who had their hearts cut out, and some representations of Xipe Totec show a stitched-up wound in the chest. Fleeced-Lord was also known by the alternative names Tlatlauhca , Tlatlauhqui Tezcatlipoca ("Red Smoking Mirror") and Youalahuan ("the Night Drinker"). The mouth and lips of flayed Xipe masks stretch widely around the mouth of the impersonator, and sometimes the teeth are bared or the tongue protrudes out somewhat. Various methods of human sacrifice were used to honour this god. Smith 1996, 2003, p.252. The flayer then made a laceration from the lower head to the heels and removed the skin in one piece. Human sacrifice was an important aspect of Aztec religion. Xipe Totec is a god of agricultural renewal. The eyes are not visible, the mouth is open and the ears are perforated. [2] Worshipping Xipe Totec. Xipe Totec (pronounced Shee-PAY-toh-teck) was the Aztec god of fertility, abundance, and agricultural renewal, as well as the patron deity of goldsmiths and other craftsmen. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.422, Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.478, Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.423. [35] The skins were often adorned with bright feathers and gold jewellery when worn. Due to this peculiar characteristic of Xipe Totec, rituals revolving around this god have the flayed skin as an important element. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. [6] When the twenty-day festival was over, the flayed skins were removed and stored in special containers with tight-fitting lids designed to stop the stench of putrefaction from escaping. As an example, during Tlacaxipehualiztli (meaning the ‘Flaying of Men’), which is the second ritual month in the Aztec calendar, the priests of Xipe Totec would offer human sacrifices to appease the god, as well as to ensure that they would have a good harvest that year. [40] A white cord was tied either around his waist or his ankle, binding him to the sacred temalacatl stone. It was called the snake festival and it was during this time when most sacrifices were in the name of xipe totec. The myth of Xipe Tótec He tells us that this god was skinned Despite that rather calm set of responsibilities, the god's name means "Our Lord with the Flayed Skin" or "Our Lord the Flayed One," and ceremonies celebrating Xipe were closely allied with violence and death. Ontdek de perfecte stockfoto's over Xipe Totec Aztec Dancers en redactionele nieuwsbeelden van Getty Images Kies uit premium Xipe Totec Aztec Dancers van de hoogste kwaliteit. The effigy represents a flayed human skin worn by a human impersonator. The smiths performed their own sacrifices to Xipe Totec. As a symbol of the new vegetation, Xipe Totec wore the skin of a human victim—the “new … He is a very important god for the Nahuatl (Aztec) people. These containers were then stored in a chamber beneath the temple. The chest has an incision, made in order to extract the heart of the victim before flaying. Without his skin, he was depicted as a gold en god. The first band were those who took the part of Xipe Totec and went dressed in the skins of the war prisoners who were killed the previous day, so the fresh blood was still flowing. Rattles were put in the right hand and a gold shield was put in the left hand, while red sandals were put on their feet decorated with quail-feathers. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.324. [16] Representations of the god have been found as far away as Tazumal in El Salvador. Xipe Totec was widely worshipped in central Mexico at the time of the Spanish Conquest, [4] and was known throughout most of Mesoamerica. He had a temple called Yopico within the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. In this ritual, enslaved people or captive warriors from surrounding tribes were dressed in as the "living image" of Xipe Totec. Xipe Totec (pronounced SHE-pay TOH-tek), which means “Our Lord the Flayed One,” was an Aztec god of agriculture and the changing of the seasons. Xipe-Totec Tlacaxipehualiztli Aztec gladiatorial sacrifice Xipe Xipetótec In Aztec mythology and religion, Xipe Totec or Xipetotec ("Our Lord the Flayed One") was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, disease, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths, liberation and the seasons. This occurred in every ward of the city, which resulted in multiple slaves being selected. [24][25] In most of Xipe Totec sculptures, artists always make emphasis in his sacrificial and renewal nature by portraying the different layers of skin. Sacrifice. Also known as The Flayed One, Xipe Totec is the god of Spring, goldsmiths, torture, and more. Like the fertility rituals these involved wearing the skin of flayed men, but the victims were chosen from a different pool. [29] This festival took place in March at the time of the Spanish Conquest. [13] Xipe Totec has a strong relation to diseases such as smallpox, blisters and eye sickness[14] and if someone suffered from these diseases offerings were made to him. A smashed version of Xipe Totec was also found at Teotihuacan by the Swedish archaeologist Sigvald Linné, exhibiting stylistic characteristics of Zapotec art from Oaxaca state. As we have described in another article on Tlaloc, the rain god, caves were symbolic of fertility and renewal. [32] On the next day of the festival, the game of canes was performed in the manner of two bands. During the festival of Tlacaxipehualiztli, dances and ritual battles were performed, culminating in the gladitorial sacrifice of captives. Xipe Totec mask . 563 talking about this. [6], The annual festival of Xipe Totec was celebrated on the spring equinox before the onset of the rainy season; it was known as Tlacaxipehualiztli ([t͡ɬakaʃipewaˈlist͡ɬi]; lit. As a weapon he was given a macuahuitl (a wooden sword with blades formed from obsidian) with the obsidian blades replaced with feathers. Mexico, Mexico City, Museo Nacional de Antropologia (Anthropology Museum), Aztec civilization, 15th century. In contrast, people who were sacrificed or died on the battlefield would spend eternity in the realms of the Omeyocan and the Tlalocan, two forms of Paradise. Fernández 1992, 1996, p.60. Xipe Totec is a god of agricultural renewal. [34] After having the heart cut out, the body was carefully flayed to produce a nearly whole skin which was then worn by the priests for twenty days during the fertility rituals that followed the sacrifice. [28] People wishing to be cured made offerings to him at Yopico. Transformed into the god, the victims were led through a series of rituals performing as Xipe Totec, then they were sacrificed and their body parts distributed among the community. However, Xipe Totec is most often connected with a type of sacrifice Mexican archaeologist Alfredo López Austin called "owners of skin." Perhaps the most gruesome image created by the Aztecs is Xipe Totec, a living man (probably a cult priest) who wears on his head and torso the flayed skin of a sacrificed human. The deity probably became an important Aztec god as a result of the Aztec conquest of the Gulf Coast in the middle of the fifteenth century. DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI / De Agostini Picture Library / Getty Images, The Founding of Tenochtitlan and the Origin of the Aztecs, The Aztec Religion and Gods of the Ancient Mexica, Aztec Sacrifice - The Meaning and Practice of Mexica Ritual Killings, Quetzalcoatl - Pan-Mesoamerican Feathered Serpent God, Tezcatlipoca: Aztec God of Night and Smoking Mirrors, Tlaloc the Aztec God of Rain and Fertility, Top 10 Things to Know About the Aztecs and Their Empire, Profile of Huehueteotl-Xiuhtecuhtli, Aztec God of Fire, Hunahpu and Xbalanque — The Maya Hero Twins, Politics and the Political System of the Ancient Maya, Tonatiuh, the Aztec God of the Sun, Fertility and Sacrifice, History of Animal and Plant Domestication, The Power of Death: Hierarchy in the Representation of Death in Pre- and Post-Conquest Aztec Codices. Share your thoughts, experiences and the tales behind the art. [8] The worship of Xipe Totec was common along the Gulf Coast during the Early Postclassic. These sacrificial victims, usually war captives, would typically be killed by having their hearts removed. Xipe Totec flayed himself so that he could bring maize seeds to humanity and allow the earth to bring food. He was considered the god of spring, the patron god of seeds and planting and the patron of metal workers (especially goldsmiths) and gemstone workers. Xipe Totec, (Nahuatl: “Our Lord the Flayed One”) Mesoamerican god of spring and new vegetation and patron of goldsmiths. Zijn macht werd zeer gevreesd, want de offers die hij vroeg waren hoog. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.422. Archaeologists discover Mexico temple to Xipe Totec, ‘the Flayed Lord’ whose human sacrifices were skinned ... How Ching Ming’s paper offerings evolved from human sacrifice. [21] His mouth, lips, neck, hands and legs are sometimes painted red. He flayed himself to give food to humanity, symbolic of the maize seed losing the outer layer of the seed before germination and of snakes shedding their skin. These rituals also provided body part war trophies, in which the warriors who captured the victim were awarded a femur to display at home. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.426. Xipe Totec was believed by the Aztecs to be the god that invented war. In Toltec art, Xipe is associated with bats and sometimes bat icons decorate the statues. Hij was een god die heerste over de drie-eenheid van leven, dood en wederopstanding. They had a feast called Yopico every year in the temple during the month of Tlacaxipehualizti. Xipe Totec: | | ||| | Xipe Totec as depicted in the Codex Borgia, notice the... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and … [34] This act of putting on new skin was a ceremony called 'Neteotquiliztli' translating to "impersonation of a god". Michael D. Coe & Rex Koontz 1962, 1977, 1984, 1994, 2002, 2008, p.207. Xipe Totec Facts and Figures. After the conclusion of this game, those who wore the human skins went around throughout the whole town, entering houses and demanding that those in the houses give them some alms or gifts for the love of Xipe Totec. [42] After the victim was shot with the arrows, the heart was removed with a stone knife. Xipe Totec is the god of agriculture, rebirth, goldsmiths, sickness, sacrifice, and the changing of the seasons. Good/Evil Rating: OKAY, not bad Popularity index: 1479 [20] Xipe Totec is represented wearing flayed human skin, usually with the flayed skin of the hands falling loose from the wrists. From the Xipe Totec's Ep "Rebirth Into Essence"Contacts: www.myspace.com/xipetotecimola The cult of death surrounding these four gods had numerous celebrations throughout the Aztec calendar year that were directly related to death and ancestor worship. [44], Other forms of sacrifice were sometimes used; at times the victim was cast into a firepit and burned, others had their throats cut.[40]. The pre-Aztec god Xipe Totec required human sacrifices who were killed in a fight to the death and then flayed, their skin worn by priests. Often, a painted hand covers the gaping mouth. Xipe totecs(Ana,Yuki) Powerful beat makers! [30] Forty days before the festival of Xipe Totec, a slave who was captured at war was dressed to represent the living god who was honored during this period. [41] At the end of the Tlacaxipehualiztli festival, gladiator sacrifice (known as tlauauaniliztli) was carried out by five Aztec warriors; two jaguar warriors, two eagle warriors and a fifth, left-handed warrior. Xipe Totec was widely worshipped in central Mexico at the time of the Spanish Conquest, and … Cult activities conducted in honor of Xipe Totec included two spectacular forms of sacrifice: the gladiator sacrifice and the arrow sacrifice. The find is very important because experts only know about this Mesoamerican deity through the accounts of the Spanish and in representations in other temples. Gender: Male Type: God Celebration or Feast Day: Unknown at present. [38], Various methods of human sacrifice were used to honour this god. [6], In January 2019, Mexican archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History confirmed that they had discovered the first known surviving temple dedicated to Xipe Totec in the Puebla state of Mexico. His name literally meant "our lord the skinned" and he was depicted covered with a flayed human skin that signified renewal and rebirth. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, pp.422, 468. Xipe of Xipe-Totec is een godheid uit de Azteekse mythologie. [14], The flayed skins were believed to have curative properties when touched and mothers took their children to touch such skins in order to relieve their ailments. [8] He flayed himself to give food to humanity, symbolic of the way maize seeds lose their outer layer before germination and of snakes shedding their skin. Matos Moctezuma 1988, p.181. [17] The temple was found while examining ruins of the Popoluca peoples indigenous to Mexico. This article was written by Nicoletta Maestri and edited and updated by K. Kris Hirst.

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