Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl embody a cosmic duality central to Aztec religion

Evidence

Tezcatlipoca (‘Smoking Mirror’) was one of the most powerful and complex of the Aztec gods — the god of the night sky, of fate and destiny, of sorcery, of rulers and warriors, of conflict and change; he carried a smoking obsidian mirror in which he could see all things, including the hearts and deeds of humans. He was the great rival and opposite of the gentle Quetzalcoatl — Tezcatlipoca representing night, fate, conflict, and the harsh necessities, Quetzalcoatl representing light, wisdom, gentleness, and the arts. — , A Year of World Stories, 10337

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the yin-yang, Zoroastrian light-dark, and Haudenosaunee Good/Bad Mind dualisms noted in the text itself. — connects to: Quetzalcoatl was a beloved Aztec god who in many traditions opposed human sacrifice — , A Year of World Stories, 10306; Spanish conquest attempted to replace Aztec religious practices with Catholicism. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 621

Related

• Quetzalcoatl was a beloved Aztec god who in many traditions opposed human sacrifice (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Spanish conquest attempted to replace Aztec religious practices with Catholicism. #complicates (0.40) — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 621