Huītzilōpōchtli

Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli
Patron God of the Mexica, God of Sun and War, Ruler of the South
Member of the Tezcatlipocas
	Huitzilopochtli as depicted in the Codex Borbonicus
Other names	Blue Tezcatlipoca, Omiteotl, Mextli, Mexi, Huitzitlon, Huitzilton, Tzintzuni, Huitzi
Abode	Ilhuicatl-Teteocan (Twelfth Heaven); Ilhuicatl-Xoxoauhco (Seventh Heaven); the South;
Symbol	Hummingbird
Gender	Male
Region	Mesoamerica
Ethnic group	Aztec, (Mexica)
Festivals	Panquetzaliztli
Genealogy
Parents	Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl (Codex Zumarraga); Mixcoatl and Coatlicue (Codex Florentine);
Siblings	Quetzalcoatl, Xipe-Totec, Tezcatlipoca (Codex Zumarraga); Coyolxauhqui, Centzon Huitznahuac (Codex Florentine); Centzon Mimixcoa (Codex Ramirez); Malinalxochitl (Codex Azcatitlan);
Children	None

Huitzilopochtli (Classical Nahuatl: Huītzilōpōchtli, IPA: [wiːt͡siloːˈpoːt͡ʃt͡ɬi] ^ⓘ) is the solar and war deity of sacrifice in Aztec religion. He was also the patron god of the Aztecs and their capital city, Tenochtitlan. He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire.

The Spaniards recorded the deity's name as Huichilobos. During their discovery and conquest of the Aztec Empire, they wrote that human sacrifice was common in worship ceremonies. These took place frequently throughout the region. When performed, typically multiple victims were sacrificed per day at any one of the numerous temples.