The Giver and Withholder of Rain
Tlaloc is the ancient Aztec god of rain, water, and earthly fertility — a deity worshipped across Mesoamerica long before the Aztecs rose. Life-giving yet dangerous, he sends the rains that swell the maize but also hurls lightning, floods, and drought. He is shown with distinctive goggle-rimmed eyes and jaguar fangs, ruling Tlalocan, a lush paradise where those who died by water dwell.
His name derives from Nahuatl roots tied to tlalli, "earth," interpreted as "He Who Makes Things Sprout" or "the Embodiment of the Earth." His small helper spirits, the Tlaloque, scatter rain from mountaintop jars across the land.
Tlaloc shared the great Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan with the war-sun Huitzilopochtli, the two together representing the twin necessities of water and warfare. The Maya knew an equivalent rain god as Chaac.
Common Questions
What was Tlaloc the god of?
Tlaloc governed rain, water, lightning, and agricultural fertility — both the nourishing rains and the destructive storms and droughts.
