^{(Also Tlalok)}

Tlaloc is a God of rain and storms originally from the region of the central Mexican plateau, with cultus documented to at least the pre-classic period, and possibly dating back to the Olmec or earlier. This makes Him one of the oldest and most widespread of the God-complexes in Mesoamerica. He is closely related to the other rain and storm Deities Chaak, Cocijo, and Hunracan. It is hypothesized that he was also a primary war God of Teotihuacan.¹⁾ At any rate, many of His iterations have a strong association with the atlatl or spear-thrower.

Tlaloc is considered an earth and fertility God as well, with a special affinity for mountains and volcanoes. He is said to live on the tops of mountains with the Tlaloque, His retinue and helpers. He is also said to reside with His Wife Chalchiuhtlicue in Tlalocan, one of the thirteen heavens of Aztec cosmology and a possible afterlife for mortals.

Tlaloc's iconographic representations are varied and ancient. He is mostly recognizable by His famous “goggle eyes”, fangs, and mustache-shaped upper lip device. These rarely change from iteration to iteration, and when abstracted, are often all that is depicted. Older images of Him also commonly feature reptilian, bifurcated tongues. The oldest depictions also have jaguar-like features.

Abstracted Tlaloc on a mural at Teotihuacan.

The “cross of Teotihuacan”, a highly abstracted Tlaloc device. Illustration by B. Schmidt, published in 1882.

• Tlaloc as we know Him emerges from the rain God-complexes of prehistory.
• He is known in the Maya area as early as the 4th century, and is there associated with war, obsidian, and meteors. He is possibly seen as a personification of the spear-thrower or atlatl itself, with the “goggle-eyes” representing the weapon's finger-holes.¹⁾