Five Suns (Aztec cosmogony)

The five worlds

The tradition names four prior suns (worlds) that preceded the present one. Their common labels and fates are summarised below; names are preserved from Nahuatl forms found in indigenous accounts.

• First Sun (Nahui Ocelotl / "4 Jaguar") — destroyed when jaguars devoured the inhabitants.
• Second Sun (Nahui Ehecatl / "4 Wind") — ended in violent winds and hurricanes.
• Third Sun (Nahui Quiahuitl / "4 Rain") — destroyed by a rain of fire or fiery stones.
• Fourth Sun (Nahui Atl / "4 Water") — overwhelmed by a great flood; survivors became fish or aquatic beings in some tellings.
• Fifth Sun (Nahui Ollin / "4 Movement") — the current age, associated with the sun god Tonatiuh and thought liable to end in earthquakes.

Different sources vary in details and emphasis; some texts highlight particular gods (for example Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc) as actors in the dramas that create and destroy these worlds.

Cultural and ritual importance

The myth explains why regular offerings and sacrifices were necessary: sustaining the sun and cosmic order required human and divine exchange. The Five Suns motif appears on monumental sculpture and codices and shaped Aztec calendar symbolism. For related discussions of the prior ages see earlier suns.

Notable aspects and variations

Scholars treat the Five Suns as both myth and a framework for moral and ritual obligations. Variants occur across Mesoamerica; some communities preserved local versions with different names or endings. The image of cyclical destruction and renewal has made the Five Suns one of the most recognisable themes in studies of Aztec religion and art.