| Like
most of the Aztec gods, Tezcatlipoca had His own priesthood, dedicated
specifically to Him. His physical representation was carved from
obsidian (black volcanic glass), and He was pictured cloaked in
a mantle with skulls and crossbones on it (originally a Mesoamerican
motif, previous to its adoption by pirates!), holding an atlatl
(spear thrower) and shield, His mirror (called Itlachiayauhque,
"Place from which He Watches"), and adorned with jewelry
and feathers. This statue was kept behind a dark curtain in the
inner sanctum of the Temple of Tezcatlipoca, and few but the priests
were allowed entrance. |
| The
priests offered incense to Tezcatlipoca four times a day, and
rose at midnight to pierce their shins with maguey thorns and
offer the blood to their god (autosacrifice such as this was a
common practice given in devotion to various deities, though the
time of day and method the blood was let differed). Priests of
Tezcatlipoca could be distinguished by the fact that they often
smeared themselves with a black pitch made from a mixture resin
wood, spiders, scorpions, and ololiuhqui (morning glory seeds
used for divination), burnt together and crushed. Priests still
undergoing training often wore their hair braided with white ribbons.
Tezcatlipoca's
festival was called Toxcatl (Dryness), and took place around
May, at the end of the dry season. Toxcatl lasted for 20 days,
and culminated in the sacrifice of a young man who had been
chosen as a teotl ixiptla (divine image), a living representative
of Tezcatlipoca. |
A
small statue of Tezcatlipoca |
| Tezcatlipoca's
ixiptla had to fit strict standards: he had to be particularly
good looking and well cultured. While Toxcatl lasted for 20 days,
this young man would actually impersonate Tezcatlipoca for an
entire year previous to his sacrifice. During that time he would
be feasted and treated as if he were truly the god on earth, clothed
in rich garments, and would walk among the streets playing Tezcatlipoca's
flute, followed a retinue of devotees and servants. Those who
heard his flute would touch dirt to their tongues in supplication
to Tezcatlipoca, asking for forgiveness for any wrong deeds.
While
the ixiptla of Tezcatlipoca did this for an entire year, for
the 20 days of Toxcatl were his 20 days truly in the limelight,
so to speak. During these last days of his life, the ixiptla
would be wedded to four young ladies who were themselves ixiptlas
of Tezcatlipoca's wives, and his principle duties until his
death would be to lay with these women as often as he wanted,
and to parade about famously throughout the city. Also during
these 20 days, his hair and costume were changed to those of
a warrior (the majority of the year he had shown the princely
qualities of Tezcatlipoca, but going to his death he would show
Tezcatlipoca's qualities as a fearless warrior). |
Mosiac
skull representing Tezcatlipoca
|
On
his last day of life, he was expected to play his flute in the
four quarters of the city for one last time, he would be given
one last feast with the Emperor, complete with ritual octli (alcohol
made from agave juice and spiked with sacred plants), and then
he would travel one last time with his retinue to a relatively
secluded temple. There, he would be striped of all his riches,
his wives would depart, and he would be left alone with nothing
but a bundle of tiny whistles. Then, he would climb the steps
of the temple, stopping on each step to play a note on one of
the whistles, and then breaking it on the steps. When he reached
the top, he would be seized by the priests and his heart offered
to Tezcatlipoca. A new ixiptla had already been chosen, however,
and the cycle would begin anew. |
| The
life of the ixiptla was to symbolize the power and pleasures of
Tezcatlipoca, while also illustrating that riches were transitory:
while Tezcatlipoca may gift a man with wealth one day, He can
just as easily take it away the next. This is why the ixiptla
was to be stripped of his riches before dying. |
|
