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The ancient god Tezcatlipoca, or "Smoking Mirror," was one of the most important and complex gods in the Aztec pantheon. Although he took multiple forms, the smoking mirror symbol always identifies him.
Known by 360 names, Tezcatlipoca was associated with the sun, leadership, and warfare. His worship was celebrated in one of the most important of 18 monthly festivals. Known as veintenas, these ceremonies honored different deities and were named after the 20 days that made up each Aztec month. (See also pages 36-38.)
Because Tezcatlipoca's festival celebrated the period when new rains slipped into the high basin of Mexico, ending the dry season, it was called Toxcatl, meaning "something dry" in Nahuatl....