Aztec mythology features many gods, monsters, and mystical creatures, each embodying different aspects of the natural and spiritual worlds. Among these creatures, the Ahuizotl stands out for its unique appearance, terrifying nature, and its brutal methods of hunting.
This post discusses everything about this ancient creature.
What is the Ahuizotl?
Ahuizotl, which means “Thorned water dweller” or “Spiny aquatic thing,” is a small hybrid creature in Aztec Mythology. It is believed to be a messenger of the Aztec water god Tlaloc. The creature protects the rivers and springs and collects the souls of anyone the god chooses.
Aztec fishermen and others who have come across the creature describe it as a small dog-like animal with small pointed ears, waterproof fur, and a long prehensile tail with a human hand attached at the end.
The creature has supernatural powers and is said to attack fishermen’s boats by turning them over. It also stalks the shallow waters of river shores, waiting for the right moment to snatch away unsuspecting victims who might venture into the water.
What does the Ahuizotl look like?
According to the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century record of Mesoamerican cultures, the Ahuizotl is a creature that combines the unique features of a Dog, Porcupine, and Otter.
It has a snout, small pointed ears, and long canine teeth like a dog. It also has a slender body like the river otter and long, spiny fur like the Porcupine. The Ahuizotl is black in colour and has dextrous hands, which it can use to manipulate objects.
Here is a direct quote from the Florentine Codex describing the creature;
“…very like the teui, the small teui dog; small and smooth, shiny. It has small, pointed ears, just like a small dog. It is black, like rubber; smooth, slippery, very smooth, longtailed. And its tail is provided with a hand at the end; just like a human hand is the point of its tail. And its hands are like a raccoon’s hands or like a monkey’s hands. It lives, it is a dweller in watery caverns, in watery depths. “
How does the Ahuizotl Attack its Victims?
According to the eyewitness accounts recorded, the Ahuizotl is a stealth hunter. Like the crocodile, it moves unseen towards its target through the mucky water with only its snout above it. When it is close enough, the creature grabs its unfortunate victim with its prehensile tail and dives underwater to drown its prey.
Unlike other mythical creatures, the Ahuizotl only feeds on the eyes, teeth, and nails of his victims. The body is left untouched and allowed to float back to the surface. When these bodies are found, they are slippery and wet, but the skin is often uninjured.
Bodies of people killed by the Ahuizotl can only be touched by priests of the Tlaoc, the Aztec water god. The priest comes along to make a special sacrifice to the water deity and bury the body on a grave surrounded by water. The Aztecs believe that anyone else who touches the body is marked as the Ahuizotl’s next victim or would be struck by gout.
Powers of the Ahuizotl
Apart from the physical features of the Ahuizotl that have already been described, this creature also has supernatural powers that make it even more frightening.
These include;
Mimicry
It is said that when an Ahuizotl has not caught anyone for a long time, it gets annoyed and uses an insidious trick to lure people. The creature would swim close to the shore and stay perfectly hidden in the water. It would then mimic the cry of a human baby.
It can do this for days, and anyone foolish enough to investigate the noise will be immediately snatched and dragged to a watery death.
Control Water creatures
The Ahuizotl can also sense when a fisherman has been unsuccessful. It lures these fishermen by causing all the fish and frogs to jump out of the water.
When the overjoyous fishermen come around to collect the bounty, the Ahuizotl turns their boats over and snatches its preferred victim underwater.
Camouflage
The Ahuizotl has amazing camouflage and water manipulation abilities. Despite its unique appearance, it can stay completely hidden and undetected in shallow water.
Is the Ahuizotl Real?
The question of whether the Ahuizotl was a real creature or purely mythological remains open to debate. While the more supernatural elements such as its hand-tipped tail and its habit of removing its victims’ eyes, teeth, and fingernails point to a mythological origin, there are compelling theories that link it to real (probably extinct) animals.
As described above, otters — particularly river otters found in Mexico — share many traits described in Aztec texts: slick, dark fur, long tails, and hand-like paws. Otters are also known for their agility in water. They are able to manipulate objects with their paws and are aggressive when threatened. The Ahuizotl could be based on encounters with river otters, especially if the Aztecs exaggerated certain characteristics to create a more fearsome narrative.
Other Native American cultures, such as the Hopi and Shasta, have their own legends of “water dogs” or water creatures.
An example of this is seen in the Nguruvilu, a fox-snake hybrid that also terrorizes rivers. This supports the idea that the Ahuizotl might be a regional interpretation of a real animal.