Aztec mythology in popular culture

Figures from Aztec mythology have appeared many times in works of modern culture.

Chalchiuhtlicue
  • Chalchiuhtlicue appeared in season 3 of Stargate SG-1, in an episode entitled "The Learning Curve", as a member of the human race from the planet Orban.
  • Chalchiuhtlicue (along with other Aztec gods) is referenced in issue 8 of The Invisibles, as one of the characters battles a villain claiming to be Xipe Totec.
  • Skin care factory H20 Plus' plant in downtown Chicago is adorned with large panels that depict ancient figures like Chalchiuhtlicue, the Aztec goddess of water, and Ea, the Mesopotamian deity credited with creating humans from earth and water.[1]
  • The Unruly Woman: Gender and the Genres of Laughter. Chalchiuhtlicue is seen as a statue, the lady of water and the goddess of the sea.[2]
  • The Genesis Code. The character Vasquez pointed to a line of inscriptions resting on the Mayan symbol for the water goddess, Chalchiuhtlicue.[3]
  • The Mexican Treasury: The Writings of Dr. Francisco Hernández. Chalchiuhtlicue is referred to as the goddess of the sea, by a mother who bathes her young child because it was at the will of Chalchiutlicue.[4]
  • Voice of the Vanquished: The story of the Slave Marina and Hernan Cortez. Chihuallama bathed her entire body with wet hands, invoking the blessing of the goddess Chalchiuhtlicue. “Now this child is new-born and new formed born again with the blessings of the water goddess. Whoever might do this child mischief, go away, for she is under the protection of Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess who wears precious jewels.[5]
  • Carr, O’Keefe, Kahlo: Places of Their Own. Frida Kahlo paints a portrait of herself, in which she is wearing a blouse that is embroidered with a rectangular symbol: it is the Aztec glyph for water associated with the rain god Tlaloc and with Chalchiutlicue.[6]
  • Chalchiuhtlicue is one of the main characters in the YouTube series No Evil. She is depicted as a blue and green lizard with a lazy yet stubborn attitude. In this series, she is not shown to be a god, but rather a spirit and Nagual. She also goes by the name Calamity, as a reference to Calamity Jane.[7]

Coatlicue
  • In Harry Harrison's science fiction novel Captive Universe Coatlicue appears as a killer robot masquerading as the goddess intended to protect certain areas of a generational ship populated by an Aztec-derived culture
  • In the novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Shadow dreams of a museum filled with statues of gods and goddesses, and is profoundly disturbed by the statue of Coatlicue.
  • In the video game Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Coatlicue is one of many multi-elemental summons in the game. Coatlicue returns as a healing-only multi-element summon in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.
  • Coatlicue does appear connected to the Virgin of Guadalupe in Chicano and Latin-American art since the 1960s. The idea is that both are powerful female figures, one which was the focus of ancient Mexican devotion, and the other a focus of veneration since the 16th century.
  • In the 1978 horror film Mardi Gras Massacre, the main antagonist claims to be an Aztec priest and sacrifices prostitutes to the goddess Coatlicue (here referred to as "Coatla, Goddess of the Four Directions").[8]
  • In the 1990 media franchise Monster in My Pocket, Coatlicue is one of several "monsters" to collect.
  • In the 1995 screenplay The Hungry Woman by Cherríe Moraga, Coatlicue appears both as herself and as the image of the main character Medea.
  • In the 2010 book The Necromancer: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott, Coatlicue is a monster Dr. John Dee calls upon to destroy the Shadowrealms and then feast on Josh.
  • In the 2012 book Age of Aztec by James Lovegrove, Coatlicue is one of the Aztec Pantheon.

Huehueteotl

Huitzilopochtli

Itzpapalotl

Mictēcacihuātl
  • Mictēcacihuātl is a major character in the 2020 animated series Onyx Equinox, who helps the heroes for her own ends. The 11th episode includes a version of her origin myth, in which she is claimed by Mictlantecuhtli as an infant to become his queen.

Mictlantecuhtli
  • In Little Big Planet, the second level named "Darkness", of the Wedding, may be based on Mictlan (the underworld of Aztec mythology). One argument is that there are many statues of Mictlantecuhtli, who was a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan. Another is that you are guided by a dog, a reference to Itzcuintli (the guide of the deads).
  • Mictlantecuhtli is the main villain in Onyx Equinox, beginning the series by devouring an entire city. The hero, Izel, must close five gates to the underworld, or Mictlantecuhtli will destroy humanity.

Mixcoatl

Quetzalcoatl
  • The pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus is named after Quetzalcoatl.
  • Quetzalcoatl is a major character in Onyx Equinox, where he sets out to close the gates of the underworld but cannot due to the apotropaic obsidian they're built out of. So instead he makes a bet with Tezcatlipoca, sending a human champion to close the gates before the equinox.
  • Quetzalcoatl / Kukulcan is the main alien protagonist in the Star Trek Animated episode "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth" from the 1973 Filmation cartoon series.
  • In the DC Comics series Aztek, there is told an ancient legend that the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl fought the shadow god Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca is eventually revealed in an issue of JLA to be Maggedon, a living computer and gokiller weapon of the New Gods. However, during the War of the Gods, a being that resembles and claims to be the Quetzalcoatl awoke by Ares' son Phobos. It is never corroborated if this is the same deity from the legends.
  • In the Stargate SG-1 episode "Crystal Skull", the 'giant alien' is named Quetlzelcoatl [sic].
  • The 1982 film "Q" revolved around the resurrection of Quetzalcoatl by an Aztec cult.
  • In Jackie Chan Adventures episode "Aztec Rat Race", the Noble Rat (with the power of the Rat Talisman residing in it) animates a statue of Quetzalcoatl.
  • Quetzalcoatl is mentioned in H.P. Lovecraft's "The Electric Executioner" and "The Curse of Yig". According to legends Yig is a snake god and prototype of Quetzacoatl.
  • The Digimon Quetzalmon (known as Coatlmon in the original Version ) and its counterpart BioCoatlmon are based on Quetzalcoatl.
  • In the Godzilla: The Series episode "Bird of Paradise", a fire-breathing bird/dinosaur hybrid awakened from within a volcano is named after Quetzalcoatl.
  • The band Therion produced a song by the name Quetzalcoatl on their 2004 album Lemuria.
  • The couatl, a flying lizard-like creature depicted in the Warcraft series, is based partially on the legends of the mythical Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl.
  • In Dungeons & Dragons, Quetzalcoatl is included as one of the Olman deities in the Mesoamerican styled cultures of such fantasy games as the Paizo Adventure Path Savage Tide.
  • Quetzalcoatl appears as a thunder-elemental "Guardian Force", or summon, in Final Fantasy VIII, though due to character limitations, his name is shortened to "Quezacotl".
  • In the 2010 book The Necromancer: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott, Quetzalcoatl is a Dark Elder.
  • The Quetzalcoatl was featured in a season 3 episode of the Animal Planet TV series "Lost Tapes" entitled "Q: The Serpent God".
  • A monstrous serpent called "Quetzalcoatl" appears in the Teotihuacan, Mexico level of the 1999 video game Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. He managed to kill it by making it slither over spike-traps set in the floor.
  • At the end of the first Assassin's Creed, one of the messages on the wall makes a reference to Quetzalcoatl.
  • In the 2010 science fiction/fantasy novel, City of the Gods: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, Quetzalcoatl appears as a human king of Teotihuacan who is transformed into a colossal dragon-like creature. Other Mesoamerican gods such as Coatlicue and Huitzilopotchli also appear as kaiju-like creatures.
  • In the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, there is a dragon known as the Crimson Dragon. In one episode, it is revealed to be Quetzalcoatl.
  • In Terry Pratchett's novel "Eric", Quetzalcoatl is parodied as a demon named Quezovercoatl, posing as a god.
  • In Beyblade: Metal Fury, Quetzalcoatl is a beyblade owned by a child of apparent Mesoamerican descent.
  • Quetzalcoatl was a winged reptilian beast in The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon, satisfied only by the sacrifice of human hearts.
  • Quetzalcoatl is a creature that can be summoned in the Shin Megami Tensei series of games
  • Quetzalcoatl has become a recurring common enemy in the more recent entries of the Castlevania series.
  • In the anime film Children Who Chase Lost Voices Quetzalcoatls are creatures that guard the entrance to the hidden country of Agartha.
  • Quetzalcoatl has become the name of a legendary item in Diablo 3, where it was sought by the Witch Doctor class.
  • Quetzalcoatl was a Feathered Drake boss in the now sunsetted MMORPG game, FreeRealms.
  • Quetzalcoatl is one of the main characters in the YouTube series No Evil. He is not shown to be a god, but rather a spirit and nagual.
  • In Fate/Grand Order, Quetzalcoatl is a Rider and Ruler-class servant.
  • In the manga and anime Beelzebub, Quetzalcoatl is a demon general from Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division, whose design resembles that of a clown.
  • He appears in a lizard like form in the comic book series God is Dead.
  • He's a playable character in the MOBA game Smite associated with the Mayan name Kukulkan.
  • In the 2013 manga Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (and its 2017 anime adaptation), Quetzalcoatl is a dragon and former goddess, who takes on a human form.
  • In Granblue Fantasy, Quetzalcoatl is a wind element summon.
  • Quetzalcoatl is the patron deity of lawful Archaeologists in the roguelike video game NetHack.
  • In the novel Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan, quetzalcoatls are a type of dragon resembling a feathered serpent.

Tezcatlipoca
  • Tezcatlipoca appears as the main antagonist in the Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror video game.
  • Tezcatlipoca is a major character in Onyx Equinox. Seeing humanity as greedy and wasting their blood on battles rather than as sacrifices to the gods, he seeks to end humanity by the equinox, but decided to entertain Quetzalcoatl's bet of a human close the gates to the underworld until the equinox happens. He sent the lesser god Yaotl as his emissary, to ensure no cheating on his rival god's part.
  • In the manga, Soul Eater, there is a character named after the god, being a man dressed in a suit and using a teddy bear mask and also having the ability to transform into an obsidian mirror.
  • In the manga Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, there is a class of warriors named Jaguars, who worship Tezcatlipoca and wear armors made of obsidian.
  • A version of Tezcatlipoca appears twice in comic books as an opponent of Wonder Woman, demonstrating both the obsidian mirror and jaguar form.[10]
  • A supervillain with the ability to turn into a jaguar/human hybrid using the name Tezcatlipoca appears in comic books as an opponent of Green Arrow.
  • Tezcatlipoca appears in the YouTube series No Evil.
  • He appears in his jaguar form as one of three Aztec gods in the comic God is Dead.
  • The lyrics of 'Jaguar God', the final song on the album Emperor of Sand by American metal band Mastodon, reference Tezcatlipoca several times, mentioning smoking mirrors and black obsidian.
  • In Granblue Fantasy, Tezcatlipoca is an earth element summon.

Xolotl
  • Xolotl appears as the main antagonist in the Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light video game
  • "The Xolotl" series won 1st place in the "Animal Kingdom" Life Framer photography competition in 2015.[11][12]
  • Xolotl has been referenced in Gravity Falls. In the finale, Weirdmaggaedon 3, before being destroyed, Bill Cipher's reversed last words are possibly " X-o-l-o-t-l, My time has come to burn. I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" There is discourse as to whether it was “X-o-l-o-t-l” or “A-x-o-l-o-t-l”. However the former has taken the form of the latter before so it may be an unnecessary discussion.
  • The mechanic demon in the game Grim Fandango by Lucas Games is allegedly inspired by Xolotl
  • Appears in The Enchantress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel book by Michael Scott
  • In Granblue Fantasy, Xolotl appears as an event boss. A summon named Ti Icniuhtli Xolotl features five priestess who serve Xolotl.
  • Xolotl is one of three gods (along with Xipe Totec and Tlaloc) to appear in Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider novel Eagle Strike. In reality, Xolotl, Xipe Totec and Tlaloc are three security guards in the employ of the antagonist, Sir Damian Cray, used as a final attempt to kill the unwilling participants in Cray's 'pain synthesis' project.
  • Xolotl appears in the series Onyx Equinox as a companion of Mictēcacihuātl.

References
  1. "Things I Can't Live Without: Cindy Melk".
  2. Women in Motion Pictures, University of Texas Press 1995
  3. Fictional Crime book Macmillan 2007
  4. Natural History of Mexico, Stanford University Press 2001
  5. Mythological History Anacade International 1995
  6. Modern Art, Yale University Press 2000
  7. "Characters". betsydraws.com. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
  8. "Mardi Gras Massacre". 11 August 1978 – via www.imdb.com.
  9. "It's all about Salma for artist, filmmaker". 2006-04-02. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26.
  10. Wonder Woman vol. I, #314-16 (1984) & #326-27 (1985).
  11. "Xolotl, The Soul Companion". Sophie Gamand.
  12. "Animal Kingdom Winners - LIFE FRAMER". www.life-framer.com.
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