维齐洛波奇特利 Huitzilopochtli

意为"南方蜂鸟"或"左方蜂鸟"，是一个战争、太阳、人类牺牲的神，也是特诺奇蒂特兰市的守护者。他也是特诺奇蒂特兰的墨西哥人（又称阿兹特克人）的部落之神。在阿兹特克人的万神殿中，许多人都倾向于对战争的某个方面情有独钟。

阿兹特克人的战神、墨西加人的部落神、特诺奇蒂特兰的主神。当墨西加人称霸之后，祂更被升格为太阳神,被视为是特斯卡特利波卡的一个面相。传说祂出身就身着战装，并持有希赫科瓦特尔为武器。特诺奇蒂特兰最受墨西加人敬爱的两位神明都在大神庙上供奉，其中的一位就是祂（另一位是雨神特拉洛克）。传说在科瓦特佩克山阴，住着一个叫Centzon Huitznahua的部族。该部落的女酋长名唤科瓦特利奎（Coatlicue，意为“着蛇裙的女人”，即母神），当她身怀维齐洛波奇特利时，被女儿科约尔沙赫基（Coyolxauhqui，即月神）率众追杀。正当危急之时，维齐洛波奇特利诞生；他右手抡矛、左手拥盾，并以一记蛇型闪电殛毙带头的科约尔沙赫基，一时间众人陷入恐慌，四处逃窜；溺死湖中者众。少数人逃到南方，并献上自己的双手向维齐洛波奇特利投降。[1] 这个故事的神话版本与上文大致相同：科瓦特利奎的长女科约尔沙赫基领400[2]兄弟，意图谋害母亲与幼弟。维齐洛波奇特利全副武装地降世，一举歼灭姐姐和其他兄弟。科约尔沙赫基被枭首，脑袋被抛到天上变成月亮；众兄弟则变成天上的繁星。阿兹特克人称呼南方的星斗为Centzon Huitznahua，应源于此。墨西加人的特有历史始于一个四面环海的岛──阿兹特兰。在维齐洛波奇特利的指示下，四位祭司抬着祂的神像，领着墨西加人划小船离开阿兹特兰，向外迁徙。凡有危机出现，祂便以快速的啁啾细语指示、斥责祭司，祭司按神的旨意领导墨西加人。漂游的墨西加人首先在库尔瓦坎稍事停留，听从神的指示到达第一个安身地，为祂建庙。后来，他们遇到一棵不明原因而断裂的树，有些人视为凶兆，内部分裂。其中，遵从神谕、自称为“墨西加”的这小群人单独继续旅途。这些人在科瓦特佩克举行了迁徙中的第一次“新火典礼”。墨西加人终于迁入墨西哥谷、学会纳瓦特尔语，但当地原住民可不欢迎他们。起初，墨西加人据查普尔特佩克为营，后遭特帕内克人赶走。接着，他们到库尔瓦坎，为该城提供佣兵，但后来还是被驱逐了；他们因此来到了特斯科科湖的一座小岛。该地四面环水且有浓密白芦苇，而且，他们看到了建城的象征──一只衔著蛇、停在仙人掌上的老鹰。于是，1325年，他们遵照维齐洛波奇特利的指示，建立了特诺奇蒂特兰（意为“仙人掌果实之地”）、结束了两百多年的漫游。特诺奇蒂特兰建城之初，还只是个附庸城邦，要向宗主城纳贡。传说，维齐洛波奇特利创造了人造湖田（chinampa）这种“漂在水上的苗圃”，解决墨西加人无多余的粮食进贡的烦恼。

In the Aztec religion, Huitzilopochtli (Classical Nahuatl: Huītzilōpōchtli [wiːt͡siloːˈpoːt͡ʃt͡ɬi], About this soundmodern Nahuatl pronunciation (help·info)) is a deity of war, sun, human sacrifice, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the tribal god of the Mexicas, also known as Aztecs, of Tenochtitlan. Many in the pantheon of deities of the Aztecs were inclined to have a fondness for a particular aspect of warfare. However, Huitzilopochtli was known as the primary god of war in ancient Mexico.[3] Since he was the patron god of the Mexica, he was credited with both the victories and defeats that the Mexica people had on the battlefield. The people had to make sacrifices to him to protect the Aztec from infinite night.[4] He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire. As noted by the Spaniards during their discovery and conquest of Mexico (wherein they recorded the deity's name as Huichilobos), human sacrifice was common in worship ceremonies, which took place frequently and in numerous temples throughout the region, and when performed they typically sacrificed multiple victims per day at a given temple.The name means "Hummingbird('s) South" or "Hummingbird('s) Left", yet it has commonly been translated as "Southern hummingbird"[6] or "left-handed hummingbird". The discrepancy between "left" and "south" in translation stems from the Aztec belief that the south was the left side of the world.[7] Despite the popularity of these later interpretations, Huitzilopochtli's name most probably does not mean "left-handed/southern hummingbird" considering that the Classical Nahuatl huītzilin ("hummingbird") is the modifier of ōpōchtli ("left-hand side") in this compound rather than the reverse;[8] there continues to be much disagreement as to the full meaning of this name.[9] Diego Durán provides some insight to the "huitzitzilin" bird after which the Aztec God is named. He describes what appears to be the hummingbird hibernating in a tree, somewhat like the common poorwill does. He writes, "It appears to be dead, but at the advent of spring, ... the little bird is reborn."There are a handful of origin mythologies describing the deity's beginnings. One story tells of the cosmic creation and Huitzilopochtli's role in it. According to this legend, he was the smallest son of four — his parents being the creator couple of the Ōmeteōtl (Tōnacātēcuhtli and Tōnacācihuātl) while his brothers were Quetzalcōātl ("Precious Serpent" or "Quetzal-Feathered Serpent"), Xīpe Tōtec ("Our Lord Flayed"), and Tezcatlipōca (""Smoking Mirror"). His mother and father instructed him and Quetzalcoatl to bring order to the world. Together, Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl created fire, the first male and female humans, the Earth, and the Sun.[11] Another origin story tells of a fierce goddess, Coatlicue, being impregnated as she was sweeping by a ball of feathers on Mount Coatepec ("Serpent Hill"; near Tula, Hidalgo).[12][13][14] Her other children, who were already fully grown, were the four hundred male Centzonuitznaua and the female deity Coyolxauhqui. These children, angered by the manner by which their mother became impregnated, conspired to kill her.[15] Huitzilopochtli burst forth from his mother's womb in full armor and fully grown, or in other versions of the story, burst forth from the womb and immediately put on his gear.[16] He attacked his older brothers and sister, defending his mother by beheading his sister and casting her body from the mountain top. He also chased after his brothers, who fled from him and became scattered all over the sky.[17] Huitzilopochtli is seen as the sun in mythology, while his many male siblings are perceived as the stars and his sister as the moon. In the Aztec worldview, this is the reason why the Sun is constantly chasing the Moon and stars. It is also why it was so important to provide tribute for Huitzilopochtli as sustenance for the Sun.[18] If Huitzilopochtli did not have enough strength to battle his siblings, they would destroy their mother and thus the world.Huitzilopochtli was the patron god of the Mexica tribe. Originally he was of little importance to the Nahuas, but after the rise of the Aztecs, Tlacaelel reformed their religion and put Huitzilopochtli at the same level as Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, and Tezcatlipoca, making him a solar god. Through this, Huitzilopochtli replaced Nanahuatzin, the solar god from the Nahua legend. Huitzilopochtli was said to be in a constant struggle with the darkness and required nourishment in the form of sacrifices to ensure the sun would survive the cycle of 52 years, which was the basis of many Mesoamerican myths. There were 18 especially holy festive days, and only one of them was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli. This celebration day, known as Toxcatl,[19] falls within the fifteenth month of the Mexican calendar. During the festival, captives and slaves were brought forth and slain ceremoniously.[20] Every 52 years, the Nahuas feared the world would end as the other four creations of their legends had. Under Tlacaelel, Aztecs believed that they could give strength to Huitzilopochtli with human blood and thereby postpone the end of the world, at least for another 52 years.War was an important source of both human and material tribute. Human tribute was used for sacrificial purposes because human blood was believed to be extremely important, and thus powerful. According to Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli needed blood as sustenance in order to continue to keep his sister and many brothers at bay as he chased them through the sky.In the book El Calendario Mexica y la Cronografia by Rafael Tena and published by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico, the author gives the last day of the Nahuatl month Panquetzaliztli as the date of the celebration of the rebirth of the Lord Huitzilopochtli on top of Coatepec (Snake Hill); December 9 in the Julian calendar or December 19 in the Gregorian calendar with the variant of December 18 in leap years.The most important and powerful structure in Tenochtitlan is the Templo Mayor. Its importance as the sacred center is reflected in the fact that it was enlarged frontally eleven times during the two hundred years of its existence.[21] The Great Temple of Tenochtitlan was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc, the rain god. 16th century Dominican Friar Diego Durán wrote, "These two gods were always meant to be together, since they were considered companions of equal power."[22] The Templo Mayor actually consisted of a pyramidal platform, on top of which were twin temples. The South one was Huitzilopochtli's, and the North one was Tlaloc's. That these two deities were on opposite sides of the Great Temple is very representative of the Aztec dichotomy that the deities represent. Tlaloc, as the rain god, represented fertility and growth, while Huitzilopochtli, as the sun god, represented war and sacrifice.[23] The Templo Mayor is made up of two shrines side by side; one painted with blue stripes and the other painted red. The blue shrine was to Tlaloc and represented the rainy season and the summer solstice. The red shrine was to Huitzilopochtli, painted to symbolize blood and war. Although the shrines were next to each other, Huitzilopochtli's was toward the south side.[24]The Coyolxauhqui stone was found directly at the base of the stairway leading up to Huitzilopochtli's temple. On both sides of the stairway's base were two large grinning serpent heads. The image is clear. The Templo Mayor is the image of Coatepec or Serpent Mountain where the divine battle took place. Just as Huitzilopochtli triumphed at the top of the mountain, while his sister was dismembered and fell to pieces below, so Huitzilopochtli's temple and icon sat triumphantly at the top of the Templo Mayor while the carving of the dismembered goddess lay far below.[25] This drama of sacrificial dismemberment was vividly repeated in some of the offerings found around the Coyolxauhqui stone in which the decapitated skulls of young women were placed. This suggestion is that there was a ritual reenactment of the myth at the dedication of the stone sometime in the latter part of the fifteenth century.[26]According to Miguel León-Portilla, in this new vision from Tlacaelel, the warriors that died in battle and women who died in childbirth would go to serve Huitzilopochtli in his palace (in the south, or left).[27] From a description in the Florentine Codex, Huitzilopochtli was so bright that the warrior souls had to use their shields to protect their eyes. They could only see the god through the arrow holes in their shields, so it was the bravest warrior who could see him best. Warriors and women who died during childbirth were transformed into hummingbirds upon death and went to join Huitzilopochtli.[28] As the precise studies of Johanna Broda have shown, the creation myth consisted of “several layers of symbolism, ranging from a purely historical explanation to one in terms of cosmovision and possible astronomical content.”[29] At one level, Huitzilopochtli's birth and victorious battle against the four hundred children represent the character of the solar region of the Aztecs in that the daily sunrise was viewed as a celestial battle against the moon (Coyolxauhqui) and the stars (Centzon Huitznahua).[30] Another version of the myth, found in the historical chronicles of Diego Duran and Alvarado Tezozomoc, tells the story with strong historical allusion and portrays two Aztec factions in ferocious battle. The leader of one group, Huitzilopochtli, defeats the warriors of a woman leader, Coyolxauh, and tears open their breasts and eats their hearts.[31] Both versions tell of the origin of human sacrifice at the sacred place, Coatepec, during the rise of the Aztec nation and at the foundation of Tenochtitlan.[32]There are several legends and myths of Huitzilopochtli.