Mictlantecuhtli

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In Aztec mythology, Mictlantecuhtli was a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan, the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld also known as Chicunauhmictlan. As one of the principal gods of the Aztecs, he was the most prominent among several deities associated with death and the underworld. Mictlantecuhtli held multiple names throughout Aztec culture, including Ixpuztec, meaning "Broken Face," Nextepehua, meaning "Scatterer of Ashes," and Tzontemoc, meaning "He Who Lowers His Head." The worship of this deity sometimes involved ritual cannibalism, during which human flesh was consumed in and around the temple. Archaeological evidence of Mictlantecuhtli's significance has been discovered in Tenochtitlan, where two life-size clay statues were found marking the entrances to the House of Eagles, located to the north of the Great Temple.