The gods of the Aztecs
The Aztecs worshipped a vast family of gods, and this word search gathers many of them. You'll be finding the FEATHERED serpent QUETZALCOATL, his rival TEZCATLIPOCA, the rain god TLALOC, the sun god TONATIUH, and the earth goddess COATLICUE.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the pantheon changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a longer-word challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard (those long Nahuatl names are a fun final hunt).
Creation, the sun and the underworld
Aztec myth explained the world and the heavens, and the words are here. The story of CREATION begins with the dual god OMETEOTL and the sea-monster CIPACTLI, and the Aztecs believed the SUNSTONE marked the ages of the world. The maize gods CENTEOTL and the goddess MAYAHUEL fed the people, while the dog-god XOLOTL guided the dead to MICTLAN, the UNDERWORLD. You'll also meet the flower-prince XOCHIPILLI, the hunt god MIXCOATL, the goddess CHANTICO, the healer PATECATL and the obsidian knife ITZTLI — all part of beliefs that, sadly, sometimes involved human SACRIFICE. Many of their names come from the NAHUATL language.
A world of five suns
The Aztecs, who built a great empire in what is now Mexico, believed the world had been created and destroyed several times before — and that they lived in the age of the fifth sun, carried across the sky by the sun god TONATIUH. This is partly why they performed offerings, sometimes including human SACRIFICE: they believed the sun needed feeding to keep rising. The famous carved 'SUNSTONE' calendar wheel, now a national symbol of Mexico, records these world-ages.
Their most important god, QUETZALCOATL — the 'feathered serpent', part bird, part snake — was gentler, a giver of knowledge and maize who, in one story, journeyed to the UNDERWORLD of MICTLAN to bring humans back to life. His shadowy rival was TEZCATLIPOCA, the 'smoking mirror'. Many god names come from NAHUATL, the Aztec language still spoken by over a million people today, and words like 'chocolate' and 'tomato' come from it too. (For the Aztec empire itself, see the Aztecs puzzle in History.) That makes Aztec myth a vivid mythology and history topic.
Great for a history topic
It's a great fit for a mythology or history lesson — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words, though some Nahuatl names are long, a fun challenge for older students. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own Aztec gods.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Aztec mythology word search?
The gods and legends of the Aztecs — the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, the rain god Tlaloc and sun god Tonatiuh, the earth goddess Coatlicue, the underworld Mictlan and its guide Xolotl, and the story of creation. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Which Aztec gods can you find?
The FEATHERED serpent QUETZALCOATL, his rival TEZCATLIPOCA, the rain god TLALOC, sun god TONATIUH and earth goddess COATLICUE, the dog-god XOLOTL who guides the dead to MICTLAN, plus the dual god OMETEOTL and the SUNSTONE.
Is it good for a history topic?
Great fit for a mythology or history lesson. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words, though some Nahuatl names are long — a fun challenge for older students.