Five Suns facts for kids
Five Suns is an Aztec myth about how the world was created. It tells the story of different ages, each ruled by a different sun. The Aztecs believed that our current world is the fifth one, and there were four worlds before it, each ending in a different way.
Contents
The Aztec Story of Creation
The Aztecs believed that the gods created the world multiple times. Each time, a different god became the "Sun," giving light and life to that age. But each age also ended in a disaster, leading to a new creation.
The First Sun: Tezcatlipoca
The very first sun was the powerful god Tezcatlipoca. During this age, the world was filled with giants. However, Tezcatlipoca's brother, Quetzalcoatl, fought with him and knocked him out of the sky. This caused the world to go dark. The people of this age were then destroyed by fierce jaguars.
The Second Sun: Quetzalcoatl
After the first world ended, Quetzalcoatl became the second sun. He brought light back to the world. But Tezcatlipoca was still causing trouble. He turned all the humans into monkeys. Quetzalcoatl was sad about this and destroyed the monkey-people with a giant hurricane. After this, he left the sky to help create new humans for the next age.
The Third Sun: Tlaloc
The god of rain, Tlaloc, became the third sun. He brought much-needed water to the world. But then, the mischievous Tezcatlipoca kidnapped Tlaloc's wife, Xochiquetzal. Tlaloc became so heartbroken and angry that he stopped sending rain. When humans begged him for water, he destroyed the Earth with a terrible rain of fire.
The Fourth Sun: Chalchiuhtlicue
The fourth sun was Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of water. She was very kind and loved the humans deeply. But Tezcatlipoca told her that she was selfish and didn't truly care for them. This made Chalchiuhtlicue cry for 52 years, causing a massive flood that covered the entire world and ended that age.
The Fifth Sun: Huitzilopochtli
Our current world is the age of the fifth sun, which is Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun. The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli fights every day against Coyolxauhqui, the goddess of the Moon, to bring the sun across the sky. They also believed that this sun, like the others, could disappear. To keep Huitzilopochtli strong and ensure the sun would rise each day, the Aztecs performed special rituals and ceremonies to give him energy and support.
See also
In Spanish: Quinto Sol para niños
