User:Largo1893/Tezcatlipoca

Tezcatlipoca's nagual, his animal counterpart, was the jaguar. In the form of a jaguar he became the deity Tepeyollotl ("Mountainheart"). In one of the two main Aztec calendars (the Tonalpohualli), Tezcatlipoca ruled the trecena 1 Ocelotl ("1 Jaguar"); he was also patron of the days with the name Acatl ("reed"). A strong connection with the calendar as a whole is suggested by his depiction in texts such as the Codex Borgia and Codex Fejeváry-Mayer, where Tezcatlipoca is surrounded by day signs, implying a sort of mastery over them.

Few representations of Tezcatlipoca survive into the present day, due in large part to a significant portion of Codexes being destroyed by Catholic priests. This lack of images have led some to describe Tezcatlipoca as the 'invisible god'. However, there being some confusion surrounding representations of the deity does not mean that no generalizations can be made about Tezcatlipoca's appearance. One of the most recognizable iconographical details of Tezcatlipoca is his face paint. Most commonly, he is shown with horizontal bands of black and yellow, though codices may vary in which two colors are depicted. [cite] Black is deeply associated with Tezcatlipoca, not only because of his role as a god of nighttime and darkness, but to differentiate him from the other three Tezcatlipocas (Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopoctli, and Xipe-Totec). [cite]

He is often depicted with various symbolic objects in place of his right foot, such as an obsidian mirror, bone, or a snake. This is an allusion to the creation myth, in which Tezcatlipoca loses his foot battling with the earth monster Cipactli. The obsidian mirror may also appear on his chest, as a breastplate, and often is shown emanating smoke — a literal representation of his name and role.

The color black is strongly associated with Tezcatlipoca and he is often portrayed as having horizontal bands across his face especially in black and yellow, but the many different codices vary on which two colors from site to site. There are also portrayals of his body also being black in certain places. Depending on the site half of his leg, the full length of his arms, the majority of his legs, or any combination thereof can be depicted. Most commonly he is shown with horizontal face bands, wearing a heron feather headdress, a loincloth, and knotted sandals with an armband, and tinker bells either around his neck or ankles. Tezcatlipoca is often shown carrying a shield with balls of either feathers or cotton and holding arrows or a spear in his right hand with a fan of feathers surrounding a mirror.