Five Suns facts for kids
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The "Five Suns" is an ancient belief from the Aztecs and other Nahua cultures. They believed our world has been created and destroyed five times. Each time, a new "sun" or era began. We are currently living in the fifth and final sun. This idea comes from old stories and beliefs of people in Mesoamerica, which is a region in central Mexico.
The Aztecs had their own special version of this creation story. They added new ideas to older myths from other groups. They believed that before our world, four other worlds existed. Each of these worlds ended because the gods were unhappy with the people living in them.
The Aztecs felt it was their duty to keep the current sun strong. They believed the sun needed special offerings to stay alive and keep the universe balanced. These offerings were very important to them for the world's survival.
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The Story of Creation
According to Aztec legends, the first god, Ōmeteōtl, appeared from nothing. This powerful god then created four other important gods called the Tezcatlipocas. Each Tezcatlipoca ruled over one of the four main directions:
- Quetzalcoatl watched over the west.
- Huitzilopochtli protected the south.
- Xipe Totec was in charge of the east.
- Tezcatlipoca ruled the north.
The Aztecs believed that these gods created the entire universe at a place called Teotihuacan. The name Teotihuacan means "birthplace of the gods" in the Nahuatl language. This name was given long after the city was built, reflecting the important creation stories that happened there.
The First Sun: Tezcatlipoca
The four Tezcatlipocas wanted to create a world. But every time they made something, it fell into the water. A giant, scary creature named Cipactli, who looked like a caiman with many mouths, ate everything. To stop this, Tezcatlipoca bravely offered his own leg as bait. When Cipactli came to eat it, the other gods attacked and defeated her.
From Cipactli's body, the gods formed the earth. They also created other gods and the first humans, who were giants. Tezcatlipoca became the first sun, but his light was dim, like half a sun. This was perhaps because he had lost his leg. After a while, Quetzalcōātl fought Tezcatlipoca and knocked him out of the sky. The world became dark. Tezcatlipoca was very angry and sent his fierce jaguars to eat all the giant humans.
The Second Sun: Quetzalcōātl
The gods then created a new kind of human, this time of normal size. Quetzalcōātl became the sun for this new world. The gods hoped these humans would live good lives. However, these new humans became greedy and did not follow the gods' rules.
Because of this, Tezcatlipoca changed them into monkeys. Quetzalcōātl was very sad to see this happen. In his sorrow, he sent a huge hurricane to sweep the monkeys away. After this, Quetzalcōātl stepped down as the sun. He wanted to create an even better race of humans, ones who would truly follow the gods' wishes.
The Third Sun: Tláloc
Next, Tláloc, the god of rain, became the new sun. But then, Tezcatlipoca took Tláloc's wife, Xōchiquetzal. Tláloc was heartbroken and could not do his job as the sun. This caused a terrible drought across the world.
The humans suffered greatly and cried out. Tláloc, feeling frustrated, sent a rain of fire down on the earth. This fire turned everything to ash, leaving the world empty and destroyed.
The Fourth Sun: Chalchiuhtlicue
After the fiery end of the third world, a new earth and new humans were created. Tláloc gave the role of the sun to his second wife, Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of water. Chalchiuhtlicue loved the humans very much.
However, Tezcatlipoca was angry. He accused her of only pretending to care for humans to gain their praise. Chalchiuhtlicue was so sad that she cried tears of blood for 52 years. Her tears flooded the entire earth, and all the humans were transformed into fish.
The Fifth Sun: Huītzilōpōchtli
Quetzalcōātl did not want his people to be completely lost. He went down to the underworld and took the bones of the dead from Mictlāntēcutli, the ruler of that realm. On his way back, he stumbled and broke the bones. He then used his own blood to bring them back to life. Because the bones were broken, humans were born in many different sizes.
Then, Huītzilōpōchtli was chosen to be the new sun. He is always fighting a battle with his sister, Coyolxāuhqui, who is the moon. Every night, she attacks him with the help of the Centzonhuītznāhua (the southern stars) and the Tzitzimīmeh (goddesses of solar eclipses). But Huītzilōpōchtli always wins at dawn.
The Aztecs believed they needed to give special offerings to Huītzilōpōchtli to keep him strong. They also made offerings to Tezcatlipoca out of respect and gave their own blood to Quetzalcōātl, who preferred these kinds of gifts. If these offerings ever stopped, the Aztecs believed the fifth sun would go dark. The world would then end in a massive earthquake, and Huītzilōpōchtli would be defeated, bringing an end to all humanity.
Different Versions of the Myth
Most of what we know about the ancient Aztecs comes from a few old books called codices. These books survived the Spanish conquest. Aztec myths can sometimes be confusing because they were first told by word of mouth. Also, the Aztecs adopted many gods from other tribes. They often gave these gods new meanings or combined them with their own similar gods. This means older myths can be very similar to newer ones, but sometimes a different god is said to have done the same action. This probably happened as the popularity of different gods changed over time.
One common variation says that Coatlicue, the earth goddess, was the mother of the four Tezcatlipocas and the Tzitzimitl. Some stories say Quetzalcoatl was born to her first. Other versions describe a conflict where the Tzitzimitl attacked Coatlicue, and then Huitzilopochtli appeared, starting his battles.
Another variation states that only Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were born to Ometeotl. Sometimes, it is said that these two gods alone pulled apart Cipactli, also known as Tlaltecuhtli, to create the world.
The order of the first four suns can also vary in different stories. However, the way each world ends usually stays the same for the god who was the sun at that time.
Sometimes, the fifth sun is said to be a god named Nanauatzin. In this story, the gods gathered in darkness to choose a new sun. This new sun had to sacrifice himself by jumping into a huge bonfire. Two gods volunteered: the young Tecuciztecatl and the old Nanauatzin. Tecuciztecatl tried first but was too scared of the heat. Nanauatzin then bravely walked into the flames and was consumed. Tecuciztecatl followed him. The brave Nanauatzin became our sun, and Tecuciztecatl became the moon. Another god, Tonatiuh, is sometimes linked to the warrior sun, who needed many offerings to keep moving across the sky.
Summary of the Five Suns' Ages
Ancient Nahua texts, like the Codex Chimalpopoca, describe five world-ages. Each age is connected to the number "four" and a special day-sign from their 260-day calendar.
| Nahuatl Name | English Title | How it Ended |
|---|---|---|
| Nāhui-Ocēlōtl | Age of Four-Jaguar | Giant humans were eaten by jaguars. |
| Nāhui-Ehecatl | Age of Four-Wind | Humans became monkeys, and strong winds destroyed the world. |
| Nāhui-Quiyahuitl | Age of Four-Rain | A rain of fire burned the world; some survivors turned into birds. |
| Nāhui-Ātl | Age of Four-Water | A great flood ended this age; people became fish, and one couple turned into dogs. |
| Nāhui-Olīn | Age of Four-Movement | This is our current age. It is predicted to end in a huge earthquake and the return of the Tzitzimimeh. |
See also
In Spanish: Quinto Sol para niños
- Aztec mythology
- Aztec religion
- Aztec philosophy
- Fifth World (mythology)
- Mesoamerican creation accounts
- Sun stone
- Thirteen Heavens
