---
title: Mixcoatl
author: Mark Cartwright
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Mixcoatl/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Mixcoatl
_Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_
Mixcoatl, 'Cloud Serpent,' was a Mesoamerican [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) identified with hunting, the Milky Way and the stars and heavens in general. The god may originally have derived from a deified hunter and warrior-leader of the [Toltec](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/)-Chichimec peoples of central Mexico. In [mythology](https://www.worldhistory.org/mythology/), he is the father of the southern constellations and the great Mesoamerican god [Quetzalcoatl](https://www.worldhistory.org/Quetzalcoatl/).
### Name & Associations
The name Mixcoatl may be literally translated as 'Cloud Serpent' which is how the ancient Mesoamericans imagined the Milky Way in the night sky. Mixcoatl was the son of the primordial creator gods Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl in some traditions; in others, he was the son of the earth goddess Itzpapalotl ('Obsidian Butterfly') while his wife was [Coatlicue](https://www.worldhistory.org/Coatlicue/) ('Serpent Skirt'), another earth-fertility goddess. Mixcoatl was considered the father of the Centzon Huitznahua, the 400 sons representing the southern stars. Also, by changing himself into a deer and forcing his attentions on either the great huntress Chimalman or the earth goddess Cihuacoatl, he was parent to Quetzalcoatl, the great feathered serpent god of Mesoamerica.
Mixcoatl was the patron or main god of the Chichimecs (and many other peoples who claimed descent from them) and the Otomi of central Mexico. As Camaxtl he was especially worshipped at Huejotzingo and Tlaxcala. The later Aztecs largely replaced Mixcoatl with their own powerful sun and [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/) god [Huitzilopochtli](https://www.worldhistory.org/Huitzilopochtli/), although he was associated with Red [Tezcatlipoca](https://www.worldhistory.org/Tezcatlipoca/), an aspect of the all-seeing and omnipresent supreme god of the [Aztec pantheon](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1034/aztec-pantheon/) Tezcatlipoca. In one tradition Tezcatlipoca transformed himself into Mixcoatl and then invented the fire-drill for the benefit of humanity. Finally, Mixcoatl was associated with lightning, thunder, and the direction North.
### Festivals & Worship
Mixcoatl the god was associated with the 14th [Aztec](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aztec_Civilization/) month, Quecholli (a type of bird), when feasts and hunts were held in his honour on Mt. Zacatepetl. The hunters dressed themselves as the god, made arrows, and set ritual fires to commemorate this gift. It was during this festival that [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/) took their young children to dance with Mixcoatl's priestesses, who were given cakes. Bloody human sacrifices were made to the god, too, described here by the historian M. E. Miller:
> A man and a woman were sacrificed to Mixcoatl in his [temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/). The female victim was slain like a wild animal; her head was struck against a rock until she was half-conscious; then her throat was slit and the head decapitated. The male victim displayed the head to the assembled crowds before he himself was sacrificed by heart extrusion. (116)
Mixcoatl, along with various other hunting gods and Tezcatlipoca, was also honoured during the 5th month of Toxcatl ('Drought') with a festival which included another round of actual animal hunts and a staged hunt of prisoners of war dressed as deer. Feasts and the sacrifice of honoured god-impersonators rounded off the festivities.
[  Toltec Warrior Columns Luidger (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1422/toltec-warrior-columns/ "Toltec Warrior Columns")### The Toltec Mixcoatl
Something like [Hercules](https://www.worldhistory.org/hercules/) in [Greek mythology](https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Mythology/), Mixcoatl was perhaps originally an ordinary mortal who gained fame, and as a great hunter, warrior, and leader, consequently earned his deification. The [Toltec Civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/) flourished between the 10th and mid-12th century CE in central Mexico, and according to tradition, their legendary chieftain Ce Tecpatl Mixcoatl ('One Flint Cloud Serpent') led them from the deserts of the north-west to Culhuacan in the Valley of Mexico. Mixcoatl, by impregnating with an arrow his wife, a local Nahua woman named Chimalman, had a son, Ce Acatl Topiltzin who was born on the day 1 Reed, either 935 or 947 CE. Topiltzin took on the honorary title Quetzalcoatl and won great renown as he consolidated and expanded the Toltec-Chichimeca [empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/) with its impressive capital at Tollan.
### Representation in Art
The god is represented on the gilded handle of an Aztec hardwood dart thrower (*atl-atl*) now in the British Museum, London. Here he wears a fanged mask, ear-spools in the form of deer hooves, and an eagle-feather headdress while battling a rattlesnake. Mixcoatl appears in codices wearing red and white striped body paint, a black mask on the upper part of his face, and eagle feathers. As with other star-associated gods, he may have stars on his face. He is typically carrying a bow, bunch of arrows, and a hunting net or basket and is sometimes in the act of slaying a jaguar, reminding of his role as patron of hunters.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- [Almere Read, K. *Mesoamerican Mythology.* Oxford University Press, 2002.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0195149092/)
- [Coe, M.D. *Mexico.* Thames & Hudson, 2008.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500287554/)
- [Jones, D. *Mythology of Aztec & Maya.* Southwater, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1844763978/)
- [McEwan, C. *Moctezuma.* British Museum Press, 2009.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0714125857/)
- [Miller, M.E. *An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya.* Thames & Hudson, 1997.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500279284/)
- [Phillips, C. *The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Aztec & Maya& Central America - Including The Aztec..* Lorenz Books, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0754817296/)
- [Soustelle, J. *Daily Life of the Aztecs.* Penguin Books Ltd, 1971.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0140206787/)
- [Townsend, R.F. *The Aztecs.* Thames & Hudson, 2009.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500287910/)
## About the Author
Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share.
## Timeline
- **c. 900 CE - c. 1150 CE**: The [Toltec civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/) flourishes in Mesoamerica.
- **1100 CE - 1200 CE**: The Valley of Mexico is first settled by migrating tribes (Chichimecs, Tepanecs, Mexica and Acolhua).
- **c. 1345 CE - 1521 CE**: The [Aztec civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aztec_Civilization/) flourishes in Mesoamerica.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Cartwright, M. (2017, March 29). Mixcoatl. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Cartwright, Mark. "Mixcoatl." *World History Encyclopedia*, March 29, 2017. .
### MLA
Cartwright, Mark. "Mixcoatl." *World History Encyclopedia*, 29 Mar 2017, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 29 March 2017. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.