View source for Religion:Huēhuecoyōtl

{{Short description|Aztec deity}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Aztec
| name         = Huehuecoyotl
| image        = Huehuecoyotl.jpg
| alt          =
| god_of       = God of the arts, lord of music and ceremonial dance, guide of adulthood and adolescence
| other_names  = Ueuecoyotl
| member_of    = the Nauhtzonteteo
| abode        = Tlalticpac
| symbol       = 
| parents      = Omecihuatl (Emerged by Tecpatl)
| siblings     = the Nauhtzonteteo (1,600 gods)
| consort      = None
| children     = None
| gender       = [[Biology:Male|Male]]
| region       = [[Place:Mesoamerica|Mesoamerica]]
| ethnic_group = Aztec (Nahoa)
| festivals    =
}}
In Aztec mythology, '''Huēhuehcoyōtl''' ({{IPA-nah|weːweʔˈkojoːt͡ɬ|}})  (from ''huēhueh'' {{IPA-nah|ˈweːweʔ|}} "very old"  (literally, "old old") and ''coyōtl'' {{IPA-nah|ˈkojoːt͡ɬ|}} "coyote" in [[Social:Nahuatl|Nahuatl]]) is the auspicious Pre-Columbian god of music, dance, mischief, and  song. He is the patron of uninhibited sexuality and rules over the day sign in the Aztec calendar named cuetzpallin (lizard) and the fourth trecena Xochitl ("flower" in Nahuatl).<ref name=AztecCalendar>{{cite web|url=http://www.azteccalendar.com/day/Cuetzpalin.html|title=Article|website=Aztec Calendar}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=12 July 2020|title=Huehuecóyotl, the Erotic God Worshipped by Mexican Antiquities.|work=The Yucatan Times|url=https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2020/07/huehuecoyotl-the-erotic-god-worshipped-by-the-ancient-mexicans/|access-date=20 July 2020}}</ref>

== History ==
Stories derived from the [[Unsolved:Codex Telleriano-Remensis|Codex Telleriano-Remensis]] characterized Huehuecóyotl as a benign prankster, whose tricks were often played on other gods or even humans, but tended to backfire and cause more trouble for himself than for the intended victims. A great party-giver, he also was alleged to create wars among humans to relieve his boredom. He was a part of the [[Unsolved:Tezcatlipoca|Tezcatlipoca]] (Smoky Mirror) family of the Mexica gods and inherited their [[Unsolved:Shapeshifting|shapeshifting]] powers.

Those who had indications of evil fates from other gods would sometimes appeal to Huehuecóyotl to mitigate or reverse their fates. Huehuecóyotl shares many characteristics with the [[Social:Trickster|trickster]] [[Religion:Coyote (mythology)|Coyote]] of the North American tribes, including storytelling and choral singing.<ref name=GodChecker>{{cite web|url=https://www.godchecker.com/aztec-mythology/HUEHUECOYOTL/|title=HUEHUECOYOTL|website=GodChecker}}</ref>

Like all Aztec deities, Huehuecóyotl was dualistic in his exercise of good and evil and was perceived as a [[Philosophy:Balance (metaphysics)|balanced]] god. Depictions of his dark side include a coyote appearance (non-human) with black or yellow feathers, as opposed to the customary green feathers.


He is also the god of deception.<ref name=AztecCalendar/>

== About ==
[[File:Xochitl.jpg|thumb|100px|left|Day sign Xochitl]]
Huehuecóyotl (or Ueuecoyotl) is a Mexican mythology deity. He is depicted in the [[Unsolved:Codex Borbonicus|Codex Borbonicus]] as a dancing [[Biology:Coyote|coyote]] with human hands and feet, accompanied by a human drummer. The name "very old coyote" conveyed positive meanings to the Aztecs; coyotes were a symbol of astuteness, worldly wisdom, pragmatism, male beauty, and youthfulness. The prefix "huehue", which in [[Social:Nahuatl|Nahuatl]] means "very old", was attached to gods in Aztec mythology that were revered for their old age, wisdom, philosophical insights, and connections to the [[Philosophy:Divinity|divine]]. Although Huehuecóyotl often appears in stories as male, he can change gender much like many of the offspring of [[Unsolved:Tezcatlipoca|Tezcatlipoca]] can. He also can be associated with indulgence, male sexuality, good luck and story-telling. One of his prominent female lovers was Temazcalteci (also Temaxcaltechi), the goddess of bathing and sweat baths ([[Religion:Temazcal|temazcal]]li), also known as [[Religion:Temazcal|Mexican sauna]]. Another was Xochiquetzal, the goddess of love, beauty, female sexuality, prostitutes, flowers, and young mothers.

In most depictions of Huehuecóyotl, he is followed by a human drummer or groups of humans that appear to be friendly to him (as opposed to worshiping), which is exceptional in [[Place:Mesoamerica|Mesoamerica]]n culture.

The fourth day of the twenty-day calendar cycle belonged to Huehuecóyotl.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tezcatlipoca.org/TezMyth/ky-ab1.htm Karl Young, The Continuum of Life in Codex Borbonicus]

{{Aztec mythology}}

[[Category:Aztec gods]]

{{Sourceattribution|Huēhuecoyōtl}}