Tláloc
Aztec god of rain, storms, sweet waters, and vegetation
Tláloc, who is called Chaac by the Mayans, was one of the most important and formidable gods of the pantheon. He had the power to bring life-giving rain to the land, providing water for the crops, but also as an unforgiving god who would act in wrath if angered. Many of his followers referred to him as “the provider,” but they feared his temperamental nature. If unsatisfied with his follower’s sacrifices, he could withhold the vital rains, killing many with drought and famine. Other times, Tláloc would show his anger through use of hail, hurricanes, and floods. For individuals who displeased him, he could strike them down with a bolt of lightning. Tláloc was one of the three great gods of the Aztecs, along with the war god Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca the sorcerer, and the feathered-serpent Quetzalcoatl. Some myths say that Tláloc was one of the four children of Ometeotl, the supreme creator gods,
Beyond control of the waters and lightning, Tláloc was a significant political force in the life of the metropolis and its international negotiations. At the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, two twin temples were set up on the Templo Mayor pyramid, one dedicated to Huitzilopochtli (representing the dry season) and the other to Tláloc, who was worshipped with equal attention. The monumental steps leading to Tláloc's temple were painted blue and white. His temple was on the north side of the pyramid and marked the summer solstice and wet season. Inside the pyramid, offerings connected to the sea have been found, such as coral, shells, and sea-life. Tláloc also had a mountain temple outside of Tenochtitlán, situated on the top of Mount Tláloc. Sacrifices that took place on this sacred mountain were believed to please the god, and so he would bring early rains.
Tláloc is very connected to caves because of their dampness, and his realm of Tlalócan is subterranean. Tlalócan is the paradise that is filled with eternal spring, trees, fresh food, rivers, and waterfalls- all located in a large underground domain from the heavens. Those who come here are the people who died by drowning, being struck by lightning, or from an illness related to the gods of water (such as dropsy or gout). Possibly the only exceptions to this were those who were killed by Tláloc as punishment. The Tlalócan-bound dead were not cremated as was customary, but were instead buried in the ground with seeds planted in their faces and blue paint covering their foreheads.
One myth claims that Tláloc’s wife was Xochiquetzal, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. It is said that she was stolen away by Tezcatlipoca because he desired her, and Tláloc either fought him off or went in search for another wife. From asking Tlaloc for clarification, he has said that Xochiquetzal was actually never married to him, and that his wife was always Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of rivers and springs. He said the story of Xochiquetzal being his wife was created because of her association with fertility, so the Aztecs assumed that she would be wife of the rain god.
Tláloc is shown wearing a blue mask with large, round eye holes. He wears a heron-feather headdress too. In his hand, he holds a magical rattle said to bring the thunder. Around his neck, he wears a necklace of jade beads, his sacred gemstone. Since he was regarded as a provider of maize, he is sometimes represented holding a ripe maize stalk or wearing a maize headdress. When working with him, Tláloc has told me that he does have fangs, but they are much shorter than how the Aztecs depicted them, since they wanted to make them look more dramatic. Besides that, Tláloc has blueish-gray skin and his face is like a mature Aztec man with a serious look.
There are four rain deities called the Tlálocs or Tepictoton (sg: Tlalócan) who assist Tláloc in his duties. These are part of Tláloc’s elite, but he has more than just four in his elite group. These four however are the ones who represent the four cardinal directions. Tláloc was believed to have four giant jars, each one representing the cardinal directions. From the jar of the East, Tláloc gave out the rains, while from the other jars, he dispensed terrible scourges of drought, disease, and frost, which were also deadly for crops. Other times, rain would come when the Tlálocs used sticks to smash the water jars which were inside mountains. On Tláloc’s orders, they broke the jugs containing water, producing thunders and rain. For that, they used their rattlestaffs, symbols of strength and fertility. According to some interpretations, the four jugs carried by the four Tlálocs contained respectively the rain, the frost, the drought, and the disease.
Western Rain: This Tlalócan brought rain from the west and took his color, red, from the setting sun. He was associated with autumn rain showers.
Southern Rain: This Tlalócan had the color green, representing the summer’s green growth of fertile crops.
Eastern Rain: This Tlalócan took the color of golden-yellow and was responsible for bringing the gentle rain of spring to nourish the young crops and return life to the world.
Northern Rain: This Tlalócan brought terrible destruction in the form of powerful storms, hail, and even snow in the highland mountains. He is associated with the color white, and the Aztecs believed the hail and snow were made from the bones of their deceased ancestors.
The four Tlálocs (and Tláloc) are pictured watering maize fields. Each Tlalócan is shown watering the maize with differing types of rains, of which only one is beneficial. The rain that was beneficial to the land was burnished with jade crystals and would make a bountiful harvest. The other forms of rain were destroyers of crops, “fiery rain, fungus rain, wind rain, and flint blade rain”.
A lesser-known role of Tláloc is that he is also connected to war. Tláloc was seen as a heroic deity and was often depicted on shields of both Mayans (as Chaac) and the Aztecs. Tláloc can be seen in many examples of Maya war imagery and war-time decoration, such as appearing on shields, masks, and headdresses of warriors. He is present on the shield of a Teotihuacan warrior also. In some depictions, Tláloc also appears along with spear-throwers and darts; or with various warrior emblems such as the “owl and spears” symbol. Other sources, like Ixtlilxochitl, present Tláloc as a valiant king, which implies he was also a war leader.
Tláloc is upright, courageous, steadfast, fair and strict, doesn’t hesitate to use stealth when needed, passionate, hotheaded (less than Huitzilopochtli but almost as much), considerate, and does not forgive very easily. If anything serious is done, he can bear a grudge against the person that is longer than their life. He doesn’t believe in imprisonment- he thinks people should be free and those who do wrong should be executed. He also says that when a person is born, they are given certain talents, and so it is a person’s task in life to use theses talents and develop them. Because if a god gives you a gift, why should you let it go to waste?
Offerings: fresh water (from rivers or springs), rain water, river pebbles, jade, turquoise, pitcher plants, marigolds, pansies, reeds, xocolatl (with water), dark chocolate (80-90%), cacao beans, papayas, watermelons, starfruit, soursop, curuba, maracuya, passionfruit, fish, cowrie shells, lace murex shells, panpipes, metallic claws, hand harpoons, carved statues of himself, blood, jasmine incense, vanilla incense, marigold incense
-water that is offered should be poured into soil afterwards
*animal sacrifice should be offered to him if this is legal in your area, if not, you can just do an auto-sacrifice of your own blood through a safe means
