Huītzilōpōchtli

Huitzilopochtli (pronounced [wit͡siˌlopot͡ʃˈt͡ɬi]) was the national god of the Mexica people, who dominated the Aztec Empire in the late postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology. He was the patron deity of the city of Tenochtitlan and, as a solar war deity, was often associated with the sun and war. Huitzilopochtli's name is derived from the Nahuatl words huitzil (hummingbird) and opochtli (left), which can be translated as "Hummingbird of the South" or "Left Hummingbird." In Hebrew, this could be translated as ציפור-הדבש של השמאל or הציפור של השמאל. In other relevant languages, the name is translated as Huitzilopochtli in Spanish, Uitzilopochtli in French, and Uitzilopochtli in Italian. Huitzilopochtli was believed to have guided the Mexica people from their ancestral home of Aztlán to Tenochtitlan, where they founded their great city. He was often depicted as a hummingbird or as a young warrior with a hummingbird's beak and was associated with the sun and fire. The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli required human sacrifice to sustain his strength and ensure the continued movement of the sun across the sky. The Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, known as the Templo Mayor, was dedicated to both Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc, the god of rain.