TLALOC

Rain god? Crazy mask? Cult following? Sounds like a Folklord, alright.

Representations of Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god, date all the way back to the third century. He maintained supremacy over the Teotihuacan culture with his ability to bring rain or cause tremendous draught. His following, the Tlaloque, dwelled in the mountains and dedicated a full five months of their 18-month ritual calendar to this dude. So, he was important. Always depicted wearing a strange mask with circular, vacuous eyes and long fangs, the Aztec people were enamored with this peculiar guy, sort of like Daft Punk. And people would lose themselves in dance and song to do his bidding, sort of like Daft Punk.

Rain priests bathed in mountain lakes in his honor, children were sacrificed, idols were made, crops were showered. The guy even had his own heaven you got a VIP pass to if you drowned or were struck by lightning! Like many gods, Tlaloc could be merciful and merciless, but always had that grin on his face. Tlaloc reigned (no pun intended) over the southern Aztec tribes for centuries, until the northern tribes invaded them and brought with, poetically enough, sun and star gods to do away with the Tlaloque rituals. Rain, apparently, was going out of style, and sun was in, man. (Fun fact: One of these new gods happened to be Tezcatlipoca, the subject of a previous Creature Feature and Folklord hat!)

Tlaloc is often associated with the Mexican prickly poppy, known for its medicinal uses and prevalence in arid climates. And like Tlaloc, there are two sides to the poppy: one of spirituality and healing; one of toxicity and destruction. It was used in rituals by Aztec priests and could be smoked for its... let's say euphoric effects. It could also kill you if not handled properly. Tlaloc and the poppy symbolizes duality, both in demeanor and climate. Remember, the Mexico of today is not the one the Aztecs lived in. It was a bountiful region of lakes and islands in harmony with the high mountains. These flowers, and Tlaloc himself, are reminders of the past and connections to it.

See you out there.