Tonatiuh (pronounced Toh-nah-tee-uh) was the     Aztec sun god. This deity had both a positive and negative     aspect.  As a benevolent god, Tonatiuh provided humans and other     living beings with warmth and fertility. In order to do so,    however, he needed sacrificial victims.

Tonatiuh was also the patron of warriors,    especially of the important jaguar and eagle warrior orders,    among whose duties was to capture war victims to sacrifice in     his honor.

Tonatiuh governed     the era under which the Aztecs lived, the era of the Fifth Sun.    According to Aztec mythology, the world had passed through four     ages, called Suns. The first era, or Sun, was governed by the     god Tezcatlipoa     , the second one by Quetzalcoatl, the third one by the rain god     Tlaloc, and the forth one by the goddess Chalchiuthlicue. The     current era, or fifth sun, was governed by Tonatiuh. According     to the legend, during this age the world is characterized     bymaize eaters and it will violently come to an end, through an     earthquake.

Tonatiuh’s Image

One of the most famous images of Tonatiuh is     represented on the stone of Axayacatl, the famous Aztec     calendar.  At the center of the stone, the face of Tonatiuh     represents the current Aztec world, the Fifth Sun, whereas the     surrounding symbols represent the calendric signs of the past     four eras.