HUITZILOPOCHTLI. Huitzilopochtli, which means " the Humming-bird on the left," was the name given to the god of war by the ancient Mexicans. It would seem to have been a popular name which came into use instead of the original name, Mextli. J. M. Robertson com pares the story of the birth of Huitzilopochtli to that of the birth of Mars. One day, when a widow Coatlicue or Coatlatitona entered the Temple of the Sun, a ball of bright-coloured feathers fell at her feet. Picking it up, she put it in her bosom. By touching it in this way, she became impregnated and in course of time gave birth to Huitzilopochtli. Her son was born with a spear in one hand, a shield in the other, and a plume of humming bird's feathers on his head. The feathers appeared also on his left leg. Huitzllopochtli became a great hero in the eyes of the Aztecs. When his mother died she was translated to heaven, and became the Goddess of Flowers. Juno, too, the mother of Mars, when she became pregnant was a virgin. She was impregnated by touching a flower. Robertson (R.S.W.) thinks that originally Huit
zilopochtli was, like Mars, a sylvan deity. He was the god of the Spring and Summer Sun. Then, since war was usually begun in spring, the God of Spring became the God of War. Lewis Spence holds that the humming bird was the original totem of the Aztecs. Its pugnacity and courage would commend it to a warlike tribe. Their standard was, in fact, a miniature of Huitzilopochtli, and was called Huitziton or Paynalton, the " little humming-bird " or " little quick one." The totem became the national war-god of the Aztecs. The adoption of a solar callus, according to Spence, came later. At Huitzilopochtli's festival in December " an image of him was modelled in dough, kneaded with the blood of sacrificed children, and this was pierced by the presiding priest with an arrow, in token that the sun had been slain, and was dead for a season." See Lewis Spence, Myth.; J. M. Robertson, " The Religions of Ancient Mexico," in R.S.W.; Reinach, O.; J. M. Robertson, P.C.