Huēhuecoyōtl
{{Short description|Aztec deity}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Aztec
| name = Huehuecoyotl
| image = Huehuecoyotl.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Huehuecoyotl as depicted in the Codex Borgia{{cite book|title=Los Dioses en los Códices Mexicanos del Grupo Borgia: Una Investigación Iconográfica|others=María Martínez Peñaloza (translator)|editor=Fondo de Cultura Económica México|author=Bodo Spranz|author-link=Bodo Spranz|language=es|year=1975|place=México|isbn=968-16-1029-6}}
| god_of = God of the arts, lord of music and ceremonial dance, guide of adulthood and adolescence
| other_names = Ueuecoyotl
| member_of = the Nauhtzonteteo
| abode = Tlalticpac
| symbol =
| parents = Omecihuatl (Emerged by Tecpatl)
| siblings = the Nauhtzonteteo (1,600 gods)
| consort = None
| children = None
| gender = Male
| region = Mesoamerica
| ethnic_group = Aztec (Nahoa)
| festivals =
}}
In Aztec mythology, Huēhuehcoyōtl ({{IPA|nah|weːweʔˈkojoːt͡ɬ|}}) (from huēhueh {{IPA|nah|ˈweːweʔ|}} "very old" (literally, "old old") and coyōtl {{IPA|nah|ˈkojoːt͡ɬ|}} "coyote" in Nahuatl) is the auspicious Pre-Columbian god of music, dance, mischief, and song. He is the patron of uninhibited sexuality and rules over the day sign in the Aztec calendar named cuetzpallin (lizard) and the fourth trecena Xochitl ("flower" in Nahuatl).{{cite web|url=http://www.azteccalendar.com/day/Cuetzpalin.html|title=Article|website=Aztec Calendar}}{{cite news|date=12 July 2020|title=Huehuecóyotl, the Erotic God Worshipped by Mexican Antiquities.|work=The Yucatan Times|url=https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2020/07/huehuecoyotl-the-erotic-god-worshipped-by-the-ancient-mexicans/|access-date=20 July 2020}}
History
Stories derived from the Codex Telleriano-Remensis characterized Huehuecóyotl as a benign prankster, whose tricks were often played on other gods or even humans, but tended to backfire and cause more trouble for himself than for the intended victims. A great party-giver, he also was alleged to create wars among humans to relieve his boredom. He was a part of the Tezcatlipoca (Smoky Mirror) family of the Mexica gods and inherited their shapeshifting powers.
Those who had indications of evil fates from other gods would sometimes appeal to Huehuecóyotl to mitigate or reverse their fates. Huehuecóyotl shares many characteristics with the trickster Coyote of the North American tribes, including storytelling and choral singing.{{cite web|url=https://www.godchecker.com/aztec-mythology/HUEHUECOYOTL/|title=HUEHUECOYOTL|website=GodChecker}} He is also the god of deception.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Huehuecoyotl}}
- [http://www.tezcatlipoca.org/TezMyth/ky-ab1.htm Karl Young, The Continuum of Life in Codex Borbonicus]
{{Aztec mythology}}
Category:LGBTQ themes in mythology