| The Five Suns |
| The Aztecs believed in four previous historical eras called Suns or Worlds. Each of these was ruled and destroyed by a or many different gods. In the era of the First Sun, mankind lived in the shade of giant trees and ate the maize and fruits the gods had offered to them. Eventually the people forgot the ways of their gods and began to live only for themselves. The gods decided to destroy the world and begin anew with creation. But before sending down a massive flood to drown out all living things, the gods took favor on a poor couple and instructed them to build a boat that they might be saved. Afraid of drowning, people pleaded to their gods to change them into fish, and so it was done. When the waters receded, the couple stepped off the tree-trunk boat they had made, and thus began the world of the Second Sun. The offspring of the saved couple lived for many years before they too forgot the ways of the gods. This time the world was destroyed by a fierce winds that even swept the sun from the sky. Again one couple had been saved, the people begged for mercy and were changed into animals so they could hide in mountain caves and avoid the wind. The story of the Third Sun follows a similar format, only this time the earth is destroyed by fire. Volcanoes erupt with lava and the people beg to be changed to birds to fly above the danger. In the fourth sun, there were plenty of plants, fish, animals, and birds to eat, but still, the people became wicked and brought about another destruction. This time the goddess of the earth told the gods of water, air, and fire to go rest in a cave because the people were undeserving of their services. Then there was no rain, no wind, no sun, but only darkness, and all the crops died. The people pleaded to be saved from starvation, and the goddess of the earth commanded jaguars to eat the evil ones and spare only the righteous people of the earth. Then the three gods of water, air and fire emerged from the cave and the sun gave light to the Fifth World. In this period of the Fifth Sun, people rejoiced and there was peace and happiness on earth for many years. Since many deities were ruling together, this sun is seen as more stable than the previous worlds. But unless evil can be removed from the hearts of men, it too is doomed to destruction. |