13 - Toxcatl

Toxcatll takes place during the season of rain, and gives honor to Tezcatlipoca, who is the lord of destruction and the whims of fate. He rules over the most critical period of the year, when the rains must fall, or the people die. Therefore this metztli is called Toxcatl, or “dryness,” for we beg Tezcatlipoca to save us from drought, and not to bring death to his people. 

Just as Tonalco begins with a ceremony of sweeping and cleaning the home, so begins Xopan. But here, the house is cleansed with smoke of copal. At the beginning of Toxcatl, the entire house must be incensed, every corner, window, and doorway. After the house has been blessed with the smoke of copal, the things within the house are blessed as well, such as the pots and utensils for cooking, which give us life through the food we eat, and the tools of our work, such as computers, and the cars which take us to our jobs. We give thanks to our home for sheltering us, and thanks to the things we use, for cooking, working, and transportation, for feeding and aiding us. Thus, the home is cleansed with fire and smoke just as the rains descend, so that the male fire and the female rain are joined in harmony in this ceremony of blessing. 

Tezcatlipoca is also the patron of the nobility. All who find themselves in a high position owe their success to Him. Therefore during Toxcatl the wealthy give Him offerings, and share their wealth with the poor. It is He who raised them up, and it is He who brings them down, therefore on these days they tremble for their future, and beg him to keep the wheel of destiny from grinding them into the dust. Before the coming of the Spaniards, it was understood that the role of the nobility was to fight in war, and to give up their lives in battle. This was seen as a sacrifice, made for the sake of Tonatiuh the Sun, Tlaltecuhtli the Earth, and their community. The fine plumes, the gold and turquoise with which they adorned themselves, were earthly rewards, given at the price of their own lives, for which they must ultimately pay. Today many of those who are wealthy and powerful mistakenly believe they won their position through their own merits. But without the gifts of the Teteo, the usually high position of their parents, and the support of the society around them, they could not have achieved anything. Toxcatl is a time for the wealthy to remember how they arose, to whom they owe their debt, and to pay it, with gifts and largesse to the poor, else Tezcatlipoca rip them from their high position and cast them to the dust.

We also give honor to Huitzilopochtli, who is Our Lord the Sun. Before the coming of the Spaniards, wars were fought during the dry season of Tonalco. These wars were sacred, as the force of teyollia contained in the hearts and blood of the warriors was spilled, feeding the dry and hungry Earth, and giving Her the power to bring life back to the maize. These wars were a sacrifice, demanded of us by the Teteo. Today, we no longer fight the Flowery Wars in which the blood of brave warriors was spilt. But Tlaltecuhtli still demands sacrifice of us. During Tonalco we danced for Her, spilled our own blood for Her with maguey spines, and burned copal for Her. And we have made Her other sacrifices, such as donating money, volunteering, picking up trash in the wild places, or have otherwise found ways to sacrifice and pay our debt. With the ceremonies of Toxcatl, we give honor to Huitilopochtli, and remind Him that we Have paid our debt to Our Mother the Earth, so that She might bloom once more.

The Ceremonies of Toxcatl

On Toxcatl we give honor to Tezcatlipoca Titlacahuan, the Smoking Mirror, He Whose Slaves We Are, who is night, darkness, and the whims of fate. Likewise, we pray to Huitzilopochtli, the Hummingbird on the Left, who is day, light, and war. We have fed Huitzilopochtli with war and sacrifices over the dry metztin of Tonalco, we have paid our debt, and now, with the coming of Xopan, we beg Tlaloc to release the beneficial rains, and Tezcatlipoca to spare us from disaster. 

Amaranth or bread figures of Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli are made, and placed on Their respective altars. They are dressed in paper regalia, and hearts which are stones of jade, crystal, or turquoise, or some other precious stone, are inserted into Their chests. Huitzilopochtli is placed atop a platform painted with writhing snakes, which represents the skirt of Our Mother the Earth, Coatluce, from whom He is born every morning. A tecpatl or knife emerges from His headdress. Offerings of arms and legs made of amaranth or bread are offered to both Teteo. Before Tezcatlipoca, they are the arms of the mighty whom He first raised and then brought low. Before Huitzilopochtli they are the body of His sister the Moon and His brothers the stars, whom He has defeated in battle. Food is offered to Them, many delicious things to eat, and in particular quail, which symbolize the starry night sky. They are night whom Huitzilopochtli has conquered, and night embodied by Tezcatlipoca. 

The young women who join the ceremony anoint themselves with perfume, and paint their arms and legs red, and wear red feathers in their copilli, which symbolizes fire and sacrifice and the light of Huitzilopochtli, and they carry banners painted with black stripes on a white ground, which symbolize the darkness of Tezcatlipoca. Only the women bear banners and are painted red, for we are now in Xopan, the season of rain and the female principle, and it is they who rule. Small cages of woven cane decorated with paper flags are given to the women, and within are placed the dried, paper-wrapped corn-cobs which had been blessed on Huey Tozoztli, and which are the heart of the kitchen and granary. They tie them to their backs with shawls, as one ties a baby, and they dance about the altars, giving honor first to Tezcatlipoca and the powers of night, then to Huitzilopochtli and the light of the Sun.  

The men wear crowns of feathers and flowers, both white, and dress simply in white, without adornment. They carry wands adorned with black feathers. They wear popcorn chains about their necks, and crowns made of popcorn. After the women have finished dancing, the men join them, dancing in a chain with their arms about one another. Thus do we dance with our arms linked, for we embrace Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca with our steps. We ask Them to bless us, to guide us, and to spare us from harm. 

The small cages of maize worn by the women are removed, and placed upon the altars of the two Teteo, who bless them. Then, Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca are taken from the altars, Their paper regalia removed and carefully placed in a box, and Their hearts cut out with the blade in the crown of Huitzilopochtli. They are broken to pieces, and They and the food on Their altars shared among all who have participated in the ceremony, who are blessed by the powers of darkness and light.