Digital Tlachieloni

Welcome to Digital Tlachieloni, a website (currently still being built) dedicated to the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca. Here's a quick FAQ to lay out the basics.

Who is Tezcatlipoca?

Tezcatlipoca is one of the major Aztec deities with a complex and nuanced character that all too often in modern culture is overlooked and reduced to a colonialist caricature. This website is not for and will not discuss modern commerical works of fiction that feature Tezcatlipoca, but it is in part a reaction to them and their broader undue influence on the public perception of Tezcatlipoca and Aztec mythology as a whole.

What is a Tlachieloni?

One of Tezcatlipoca's symbols, referred to as 'the instrument to see.' My explaination of the name is that this website lets you see more of Tezcatlipoca. It is not a well known part of his iconography, most of my searches for it on google brought back Spanish results. So naming this website after it as opposed to the more obvious obsidian mirror makes it a bit more distincitve and helps with discovery, since so few English speakers are using the word tlachieloni. And it reflects my goal to spread less popular pieces of Tezcatlipoca knowledge.

Where do I go from here?

You're currently standing at the entrance of this digital Tezcatlipoca temple. Here's a rundown of the different parts of it you can visit.

Temple Grounds

• -Tour the Zoo to see all the animals linked to Tezcatlipoca, there's much more than just jaguars.
• -Gaze at the celestial bodies of Tezcatlipoca in our Observatory.

First Floor

• -Stop by the Museum to learn about the physical objects related to Tezcatlipoca, and how John Dee of all people is connected to him.
• -Visit the Library for books and links to learn more about Tezcatlipoca. This is also where my sources are listed.

Second Floor

• -Our Art Studio will show you the iconography associated with Tezcatlipoca in art and how flexible his depictions could be.
• -To see Tezcatlipoca in non-Aztec contexts, including post-conquest ones, you can visit the Embassy.

Third Floor

• -In the Hall of Mirrors you will see Tezcatlipoca's various other names and aspects not covered by other parts of the temple (he has a lot).
• -The Hall of Feathers is where you can see the connections Tezcatlipoca has to other deities, especially Quetzalcoatl.

Fourth Floor

• -At the Throne Room you can read about the roles Tezcatlipoca played at each level of society.
• -Looking at the Webmaster's Room will tell you more about the person behind this website.

The Top

• -See how Tezcatlipoca worship takes place in modern day at the Altar.