One of the best known deities of the Mexica pantheon is Ehecatl. Its temple was in the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan and some writers such as Fray Diego Duran and Fray Juan de Torquemada noted that this building was circular and the door to enter was framed by gigantic serpent jaws. Its importance was such that some of the main cities of central Mexico, such as Cholula (Puebla), made Ehecatl their main invocation in addition to being part of the main creation myths. For example, the myth of the Fifth Sun relates that after Nanahuatzin and Tecuciztecatl had been set on fire and turned into the sun and moon respectively, since they did not move through the sky, it was necessary for Ehecatl to blow and thus the sun began to walk first and then the moon, creating the time of the human.
Despite all this, the association that gave it greater popularity was with rain and water. Thus, Sahagun says that "(...) they had him for God and said that he swept the way for the gods of water and this was foretold because before the waters begin there are great winds and dusts, and therefore they said that [...] the god of the winds swept the roads for the gods of the rains so that they would come to rain”. This association in which the wind, Ehecatl, announces the water, can still be observed in several towns in Mexico where people when observing the point from which the wind comes at the beginning of the year know if the rainy season will be good or bad. These qualities caused the wind not to be conceived in a unitary way, but that there were different types of winds of different colors and each of them would bring fertility or aridity; it would be good or bad.
Thus, Ehecatl is shown as a versatile deity, although his presentation, as shown in piece 1413, was strongly regulated. Although only the head was found, this sculpture must have measured almost one meter, and due to its similarity with other pieces, the rest of the body must have been in a sitting position, squatting. Despite the deterioration of the piece, some aspects can be distinguished, such as the displacement of a feather headdress or a Huasteco type conical cap on the head, the presence of two large paper adornments in the ears and in the back part, and the thick lines that were marked to simulate the hair, as was customary in the late Post-Classic sculpture.
Despite the deterioration, the attributes that give the piece its personality are found on the face: its eyes are almond-shaped with a prominent circular iris and a small hole marking the pupil, while a triangular nose projects forward. The most prominent feature of all is the mouth mask, which simulates the beak of a bird and is composed of a broad band at the bottom, while at the top the shape acquires a greater thickness.
The piece must have been stuccoed, which allowed the placement of colors that identified Ehecatl, the paper adornments would be white; the headdress, white or yellow; the beak a bright red; while the character's face must have been painted black, identifying him as a priest. These contrasts fixated the attention on its attribute: the mouth mask, which defined it and distinguished it from the great collection of deities of the Mexica pantheon.
One of the best known deities of the Mexica pantheon is Ehecatl. Its temple was in the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan and some writers such as Fray Diego Duran and Fray Juan de Torquemada noted that this building was circular and the door to enter was framed by gigantic serpent jaws. Its importance was such that some of the main cities of central Mexico, such as Cholula (Puebla), made Ehecatl their main invocation in addition to being part of the main creation myths. For example, the myth of the Fifth Sun relates that after Nanahuatzin and Tecuciztecatl had been set on fire and turned into the sun and moon respectively, since they did not move through the sky, it was necessary for Ehecatl to blow and thus the sun began to walk first and then the moon, creating the time of the human.
