TYPE: Creator god
ORIGIN: Aztec (Classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]
INFORMATION: In cosmogony, when on the fifth day of creation the gods sat in judgment to elect the new sun god, Nanahuatl and Tecciztecatl cremated themselves in the sacred fire. The heart of Nanahuatl ascended to become the new sun and that of Tecciztecatl became the moon. Tradition suggests the Nanahuatl is diseased and impoverished but of great courage, while Tecciztecatl is wealthy and a coward. In an alternative tradition, in which Nanahuatl is the son of Quetzalcoatl adn Tecciztecatl is the son of Tlaloc, both deities are hurled into the fire by their fathers.
NOTE: eventually all the gods sacrificed themselves so that mankind might be engendered from their remains. Also Nanahuatzin.