THE 18 BEST KNOWN MYTHS OF MEXICO (GODS AND ANIMALS) - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Among the best-known myths of Mexico we can highlight that they are rooted in the feelings and actions of many communities, especially those of indigenous origin. This is largely due to the fact that these stories emerged before and during the Spanish colonization process.

A good part of the myths of Mexico are related to nature and its phenomena, consequently many of the protagonists of these stories are gods and fantastic animals with magical powers. Some of the best known myths of the Aztec country are the "Aztec corn myth", "Quetzalcóatl", "Tlaloc", "The rabbit on the moon" and "the Nahual".

God Quetzalcoatl. Source: Eddo

But what is a myth? It is a kind of story or story through which amazing and extraordinary events carried out by characters out of this world are narrated.

These stories are part of the culture and beliefs of a given society. In general, myths address issues related to human existence and, at the same time, oppose the struggle between antagonistic and incompatible forces (men against gods).

In addition, the fact of being part of the belief system of a community makes myths justify some social structures and connect with emotions.

On the other hand, myths have passed from one generation to another orally and that has allowed their validity within the culture.

Best known myths of Mexico

Some of the best known myths of Mexico are briefly described below:

The opossum

This myth has as its protagonist an animal called opossum, which belongs to the marsupial family.

The story recounts the feat of this mammal that dared to take from the giants a portion of the fire that fell from a star to Earth. The opossum pretended to be cold and carelessly with its prehensile tail took a coal and gave it to the men.

The eagle and the serpent

It is one of the most representative myths of Mexico. The story has its origin in pre-Hispanic times when the Aztecs received from the god of the Sun and War (Huitzilopochtli) the indication to settle in a new territory when they saw an eagle standing on a cactus eating a snake.

The Aztecs took three centuries to find the sign and just at that moment they founded Tenochtitlán, which later gave birth to the Mexican capital. Not surprisingly, the eagle and the snake are part of the flag of Mexico and several citizen identification documents.

Myth of the two volcanoes

This story represents the love story between two young Tlaxcalans named Iztaccihuatl and Popocatépetl. She was a princess and he was a warrior. One day Popocatépetl went to battle against the Aztecs and promised his beloved to return to marry. However, a bad man made the maiden believe that her lover had passed away.

Then, Iztaccihuatl fell into a deep sadness that led to her death. Upon his return, the young warrior learned the bad news and wanted to honor his beloved with the construction of a great mountain for her remains to rest. Promising that their love would not be extinguished, the gods turned them into volcanoes. Today, they stand facing each other.

Aztec myth of corn, axolotl and fifth sun

This myth refers to the creation of the sun by the gods to symbolize the fifth human age, hence they called it the fifth sun. Once created, the deities realized that it did not move by itself, so they decided to make sacrifices to give it energy.

Aztec Quetzalcoatl. Source: pixabay.com.

However, when it was the god Xolotl's turn to sacrifice, he used his power of transformation to save himself. First it became a corn, but when it was discovered it took as a second option to transform itself into a maguey. Finally, the elusive god dove into the water and took the form of an axolotl, an amphibian called the Mexican ambystoma.

Quetzalcoatl

This myth is one of the most important in Mexico because it represents human limitations and spiritual values. Quetzalcóatl or the feathered serpent has its origin in pre-Hispanic times, specifically in the Olmec culture. This god represents wisdom, fertility, life and light for all believers.

Aztec myth of the birth of the sun and the moon

This myth has as its protagonists the gods Tecuciztécatl and Nanahuatzin, who offered to light up the world at the Teotihuacan meeting. The first was arrogant, but the second was an example of humility and courage.

That is how one day Nanahuatzin fearlessly threw himself into the fire, and from his sacrifice the sun was born. After that, Tecuciztécatl followed him and transformed into the moon.

Lake Zirahuén

It refers to the misery of a princess from the Purépecha area (today Michoacán), who fell in love with a young warrior who belonged to her father's enemy side. So the maiden's father was enraged by the affair between her daughter and the fighter and decided to separate them.

After many trials, the ruler challenged the young man to fight him. Frightened by the possible duel between her father and her lover, the princess intervened to avoid confrontation. She asked her crush to go away and he agreed.

After the young man's departure, the princess climbed in deep pain to the top of a mountain and wept inconsolably. So much was her crying that a lake formed where the girl drowned.

Tlaloc

The myth of Tlaloc is linked to Aztec culture and represents the god of rain, agriculture, water and lightning. Its name means the nectar of the earth. Although this deity had its positive and friendly side because it made the crops happen, it also had a terrible side, because it caused floods and storms.

The rabbit on the moon

It is one of the best known myths in the Mexican territory and like many it has different versions. The most popular is the one that tells of the journey that the god Quetzacóatl made in the figure of a man around the world and, in one of his night breaks, he met a small rabbit.

Then, in the middle of the conversation, the god asked the animal what it ate and it replied: grass. The rabbit offered him some, but Quetzacóatl did not want it. So the rabbit told him to eat him to satisfy his hunger. The deity in gratitude for the gesture threw him to the moon so that his stamp would remain eternally.

The nahuales

This myth is very widespread in the Mexican territory, since it refers to the transformation capacity of some human beings.

It is said that from the time of the colony there were sorcerers who changed their form to that of animals, such as jaguars, dogs or pumas. The believers assumed they were doing it to scare off enemies.

The goddess of the moon

It is a myth based on the rivalry of two men for the love of a beautiful woman named Ixchel. However, one of the suitors was jealous because the young woman preferred the other. So motivated by envy, the man murdered the lady's favorite. As a result, Ixchel fell into devastating sadness.

After that the young woman made the decision to take her own life to spend eternity with her lover. Ixchel's sacrifice made the deities turn her lover into the sun and her into the moon, so that their love story would remain in the memory of the peoples. Like many other myths, this one has other variants.

The chaneques or aluxes

It is a well-known story in the Veracruz area and dates back to the times of Spanish colonization. The chaneques or aluxes are beings similar to elves, but lower and with the trait of being hairy. The ancient Mayans maintained that they were made of pure clay and that their creators placed drops of blood on them to connect with them.

Now, the chaneques took care of the crops and the animals to prevent them from being stolen. In case their owner passed away, these aluxes passed to the god of corn "Yum Kaax". In the event that the crops of its former owner were passed on to other people, they were in charge of disturbing them.

Omaxsaupitau

This myth arose during the Spanish conquest of Mexican territory and tells the story of a huge bird. Although the settlers knew the risks of the mountains in the north of the country, the colonizers did not. This is how a Spaniard was kidnapped by an omaxsaupitau to serve as food for his young.

Illustration by Omaxsaupitau. Source: pixabay.com.

However, the man was able to escape and live to tell the tale. Upon hearing his story, the indigenous settlers assured him that he was about to lose his life in the clutches of a "thunderbird" similar to the eagle, but larger.

The alley of the kiss

This myth is more contemporary and has its origin in the city of Guanajuato. According to this story, couples who kiss on the third step of the famous alley in this town will seal their love forever, otherwise bad luck will come to their lives.

Now, the fame of the narrow street arose from the forbidden relationship between two young lovers. The girl's father did not like the suitor and pushed them away.

However, the cunning lover bought a house opposite that of his beloved, their balconies were separated by a few centimeters. The young woman's father caught them kissing one day and murdered her daughter.

The arrowhead of the sun

The myth of the sun arrow comes from Mixtec culture and refers to the birth of the first men. According to the story, two huge trees were planted in the Apoala area that fell in love and by joining their roots as a sign of their love they gave birth to the first inhabitants of the earth.

Some time later, Tzauindanda (the fruit of that love) prepared his warrior weapons to expand the territory of Achihutla. So he found a large area and decided to fight for it.

Tzauindanda believed that the sun was the owner of the place and began to shoot arrows at it. The star hid behind the mountains, while the arrowhead was proclaimed the winner.

The Chupacabras

The chupacabra is one of the most contemporary myths in Mexico, since the story dates from the mid-20th century. The story is based on the appearance of a strange and horrifying being that devoured animals, but paid special attention to goats.

The beast appeared at night on the farms to draw blood from these animals. The myth remained for many years in people's minds. In fact, some thought that the chupacabra also roamed other territories in Latin America.

Although a certain number of residents claimed to see it, there is no record of any kind.

Otomí myth about death

The indigenous people of the Otomí culture affirmed that there were two causes for death to occur. One of them was the one that occurred naturally (disease). While the second was related to the fact that they had their origin outside of this world, so the person could be attacked, burned or drowned.

Native Mexicans claimed that death for supernatural reasons was caused by spells and witchcraft. In the case of children, the "pacifier" of an evil witch could take them from this world. To avoid deaths, the Indians prayed to their gods for the lives of the smallest of the ethnic group.

The Hunchback

The myth of the hunchback may be one of the least popular in Mexico, but that does not detract from its value and importance. It is about the supposed existence of a strange animal known as "Itzcuintlipotzotli", which was characterized as rare, similar to a canine, but with a head like that of a wolf. Furthermore, its tail was very short and lacked fur.

References

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3. Jara, E. (2018). The volcanoes of Izta and Popo, and their legend. Spain: National Geographic Spain. Recovered from: nationalgeographic.com.es.
4. (2018). Do you know the Nahua legend about the axolotl, that god that is about to become extinct? (N / A): Matador Network. Recovered from: matadornetwork.com.
5. Ayala, R. (2018). Quetzalcóatl, the legend of the man who became a god and returned to destroy an empire. (N / A): Collective Culture. Recovered from: culturacolectiva.com.