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Pet Names Based on Aztec Gods

Here's a handy list of beautiful Aztec god names!

Aztec names are a little like tongue twisters. Many are hard to pronounce but we’ve found a few great names and meanings for you. Chantico, Iztli and Metzli are particularly suitable for pets. You can also get creative and invent nicknames, for example Quetzi (Quetzalcoatl), Nagi (Nagual) or Cinti (Cinteotl).

The most important Aztec gods include the water goddess Chalchiuhtlicue, a young girl with a cute jade skirt. Her name is really hard to pronounce. Especially if you’re a little tired and have to tell your pet off for eating something she shouldn’t have. You’d hear yourself: “come here, Chali...hui...licki... oh, never mind!” So you should think about whether an Aztec name really is the right choice.

The following list may not contain the most important gods but does contain some names that are a little easier to say (but only a little... have fun practicing!).

Aztec Calendar Aztec Calendar - Photo: Piotr jonnysek/stock.adobe.com


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The Best Pet Names Based on Aztec Gods:

GodAttribute
Camaxtli God of the hunt, war and fire
Chantico Goddess of fires in the family hearth and volcanoes
Cihuacoatl Goddess of fertility
Cinteotl Maize deity
Cochimetl/Yacatecuhtli God of commerce and travelers
Cuaxolotl Goddess of Duality
Itzli Goddess of stones and sacrifices
Itzpapalotl Skeletal warrior goddess
Metzli God of the moon
Mextli God of war and storm
Mixcoatl God of the hunt, war and stars
Nagual Protector
Nanauatzin Sun god, sacrificed himself in order to shine as the sun
Ometeotl God of duality and the universe
Oxomoco Goddes of astrology and calendar
Patecatl God of healing and fertility
Quetzalcoatl God of wind, sky, war and earth
Xolotl God of fire and lightning

Quetzalcoatl Temple Quetzalcoatl Temple - Photo: Noradoa/stock.adobe.com

Animals With the Aztecs

Gods and Spirits of Protection

Animals often had a mythical meaning for the Aztecs. Often, the Aztecs’ gods looked like animals (completely or partially). They also believed that each human had a “nagual”, a protection spirit that took either an animal or plant form.

The Prophecy, the Eagle and the Rattlesnake

Tenochtitlan was the Aztec capital, and the story of its foundation is very mysterious. The Aztecs moved from North America to South America looking for a new home. One day, they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus and holding a rattlesnake in its claws. This was “the sign” they’d been waiting for, the fulfillment of Huitzilopochtlis’ prophecy that they should settle here. Today, Tenochtitlan forms the center of Mexico City.

The Feathered Rattlesnake

The god Quetzalcoatl (pronounced: kwetsel kowatl) was the god of the wind, heaven and Earth. He looked like a feathered rattlesnake. There is also a flying dinosaur called Quetzalcoatlus, which was named after the god. It was the largest flying animal on Earth.


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Hummingbirds, Coyotes, Butterflies

Huitzilopochtli (pronounced: wee tsilo pochtly) was the god of war and the sun. Translated, his name means: “southern hummingbird”. Huehuecoyotl (pronounced: way way koy owtl) looked like a dancing coyote. Chalchihuihtotolin was a kind of chicken, Itzapapalotl a “clawed butterfly” and Xolotl a human with a dog’s head. Many gods also had animals as protective spirits/guides e.g. jaguars, eagles, snakes, spiders, owls and bats.

Eagle Warriors and Jaguar Warriors

The Aztecs had two armies, whose soldiers were seen as especially brave, honorable and feared. One army were “eagle warriors”, who wore impressive feathers and whose symbol was the sun and the day. The “jaguar warriors” dressed in jaguar fur and their symbol was the moon and the night.

Fun Facts

The Aztec Language

Although the Aztec language seems difficult, we use words from this language almost every day. Chili comes from the Aztec “chilli”, ocelot from “oceltol”, chocolate from “xocolatl” and tomato from “tomatl”. And there’s even a cute, pink amphibian that carries an Aztec name: the axolotl. It’s pronounced like this: axo lottle. The name is made up of the word for “water” and an Aztec god, so its name means something like “water monster”.

Aztec God Quetzalcoatl Aztec God Quetzalcoatl - Illustration: Kazakova Maryia/Shutterstock


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