Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Mictlantecuhtli sculpture
Mictlantecuhtli, seated stone figure, c. 900 ce.
Mictlantecuhtli
Aztec deity
Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec god of the dead, usually portrayed with a skull face. With his wife, Mictecacíhuatl, he ruled Mictlan, the underworld. The souls of those whose manner of death failed to call them to various paradises (i.e., for those dead by war, sacrifice, childbirth, drowning, lightning, and certain diseases) made a four-year journey, fraught with trials, through the nine hells of Mictlan. In the last, where Mictlantecuhtli lived, they disappeared or found rest.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Elizabeth Prine Pauls.
Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.