Aktzin

Aktzin (alternate spellings: Aktsin, Aktsini, Aktziní) was the god of rain, thunder and lightning for the Totonac people in ancient Mexico. Variants of this deity were known as Tláloc to the Aztecs and Chaac to the Mayas.^[1]

Aktzin was typically depicted as a male figure wearing some form of headdress and rings over his eyes, similar to spectacles. In one hand he held a hammer or axe which would produce thunder and lightning as it struck the clouds. Water poured from his other hand, either from his palm or from a vessel which he held. These elements represented the life-giving and sometimes destructive forces of the weather.

The Spanish conquerors led by Hernán Cortés encountered the Totonac civilization in 1519,^[2] after their initial contact with the Mayas of the Yucatán Peninsula. The Totonac territories were located near the Gulf coast in what is today the state of Veracruz. The city of El Tajín (City of the Thunder God), is an archaeological zone with the remains of the Totonac capital city dating back over 1,000 years.

References

^ Gomes, Chandima, ed. (2021). Lightning: Science, Engineering, and Economic Implications for Developing Countries. Springer Nature. p. 278. ISBN 978-981-16-3439-0. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
^ "Totonac Indians". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 12, 2024.

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[1] Gomes, Chandima, ed. (2021). Lightning: Science, Engineering, and Economic Implications for Developing Countries. Springer Nature. p. 278. ISBN 978-981-16-3439-0. Retrieved February 12, 2024.

[2] "Totonac Indians". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 12, 2024.

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