Tonatiuh, 'Turquoise Lord,' was the 5th and present sun in the Aztec view of the cosmos and the fierce sun god of several other Postclassic Mesoamerican cultures, including the Toltecs. It was thought that only the regular offering of hearts from sacrificial victims would nourish Tonatiuh so that he had the strength to reign supreme in the skies and battle each night the forces of darkness. For many, the sun god is the central figure on the Sun Stone, perhaps the most famous of all Aztec art pieces, where his tongue appears as a sacrificial blade thirsty for blood.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 900 - c. 1150The Toltec civilization flourishes in Mesoamerica.
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c. 1345 - 1521The Aztec civilization flourishes in Mesoamerica.
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c. 1427The Sun Stone depicting the ages of the five suns of Aztec mythology is carved and set up at Tenochtitlan.
