Beyond Mictlan: The otherworlds of the pre-contact Nahua
Ancient Mesoamerica April 1, 2026 Julia Madajczak, Katarzyna Mikulska, R Kelly Martinez
The Nahua people of central Mexico divided their supernatural dimension into two parts, classified by the numbers eight and nine. Eight described a realm of communication with the gods, while nine described a realm of destruction and subsequent transformation into new life. Concepts such as Mictlan, Tlalocan, or Tonatiuh Ichan, traditionally understood as supernatural regions, were actually conceptual domains, each related to a particular space, time, gods, attributes, and potential actions. Analysis of four domains related to the metamorphoses of the god Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl—Tlillan Tlapallan, Tlahuizcalli, Itzmictlan, and Chiucnauhnepaniuhcan—reveals a new understanding of the Nahua otherworlds and sheds light on the life cycle of this key god and his mysterious destination, Tlillan Tlapallan.