Huitzilopochtli

In Aztec religion, a central deity. The Aztecs sacrificed thousands of human lives to him each year, especially at the great festival of Panquetzalitzili (‘the raising of the banners’), which celebrated his supremacy as a god of war and courage.

He was the guardian deity of the city of Tenochtitlan. A fierce warrior god, reputed to have slain 400 of his own siblings, he was often depicted as a giant eagle.