The Obituary
Mictlantecuhtli was the Aztec god of the dead and king of Mictlan, the ninth and lowest layer of the underworld, where most souls journeyed after a four-year passage. Depicted as a blood-spattered skeleton wearing a necklace of human eyes, he ruled alongside his consort Mictecacihuatl. In myth he guarded the bones of earlier humanity, which Quetzalcoatl stole through trickery to fashion the present race. His worship ended with the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan in 1521.
Worth remembering
- He guarded the bones of past humanity in Mictlan; Quetzalcoatl tricked him to steal them and create new people.
- He is depicted as a blood-spattered skeleton with a necklace of eyeballs, ruling the dead with his consort Mictecacihuatl.
Sources
- Mictlantecuhtli was the Aztec god of the dead and king of Mictlan Wikipedia
- He ruled the ninth and lowest level of the underworld with his consort Mictecacihuatl World History Encyclopedia
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.