habited the quarter of Amantlan, which was conterminous with the quarter of the Pochteca. Finally a peculiar god, whose function, other than calendrical, is indeterminate, may be mentioned; the bear-headed Tepeyollotl, the "heart of the mountain," a cave-god. He is often shown with Tezcatlipoca's mirror, and may be a manifestation of that omnipresent deity. Such were the principal gods worshipped in the Mexican valley at the time of the conquest; there were many minor deities also, but sufficient has been said to give some idea of the Mexican pantheon, and to indicate its composite nature. Most of the gods were supposed to dwell in supernatural regions such as Tlalocan, the eastern paradise and home of Tlaloc which has already been mentioned, and Mictlan, the underworld and home of Mictlantecutli, which consisted of nine spheres in the lowest of which was a ninefold stream. Above were thirteen heavens, in the first of which were certain planets, in the second the Tzitzimimé, in the third the Centzon Mimizcoa, in the fourth birds, in the fifth fire-snakes (comets) created by the fire-god, in the sixth winds, in the seventh dust, in the eighth the gods. The rest were reserved for Tonacatecutli and his consort, whose especial home was the thirteenth and highest heaven.
The elements of Mexican religion then are twofold, and consist of three classes of supernatural being, each bearing a direct relation to the mode of life of their especial worshippers. These consist of the rain-and fertility-deities of the agricultural peoples; the stellar war-and hunting-gods of the nomadic tribes who were regarded in the light of personal leaders; and the omnipotent creating-gods, such as Tonacatecutli and Tezcatlipoca, common to both. The tribal gods of the nomadic peoples seem to partake of the nature of fetishes in their original forms, and to have been evolved from the "medicine bundles" familiar to the student of North
