Aztec Creation Story

Ever think that tearing someone apart could have created our earth? Well, the “Aztec Creation Story” describes how our planet Earth was “supposedly” created: two Aztec gods (Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl) transformed into serpents and attacked the hideous Earth Goddess, ripping her in two. The upper half of her body became the ground and the lower half became the heavens. There were two other very significant Aztec “gods” in the story that deeply affected the outcome of planet Earth: Tecuciztecatl and Nanahuatzin. After the two Aztec gods, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl, created the Earth, the planet was dark and was in great need of a light source. After consulting on who would “…accept the burden of lighting the world,” (10) two gods stepped
His selflessness and sincerity helped him acquire his brave soul. This brave soul would allow him to achieve something that all of the gods thought he would never achieve. While all the gods were ready to watch Tecuciztecatl become the more honorable Sun, something shocking occured which allowed Nanahuatzin to become something they never thought he would ever be: “Again (Tecuciztecatl) he turned to cast himself into the flames which leaped even higher, but he stopped, not daring to cast himself into the fire. Four more times he tried, but each time he lost his nerve. It was tradition that no one could try more than four times. Since Tecuciztecatl had tried four times the gods then spoke to Nanhuatzin…he gathered his courage and, closing his eyes, rushed forth and cast himself into the fire...” (12) Nanahuatzin, the pustule god, in the end had more courage than Tecuciztecatl to jump through the scorching flames of the fire. Nanahuatzin became the Sun not through his riches or beauty, but through his courage and faith. In the end, Nanahuatzin, (the god that was so “ugly” that the other gods gave him paper to cover himself) became brighter than Tecuciztecatl, all his gold and all the other gods