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Ahuiateteo
Lords of Excess
Pronounced: Ah-wee-ah-teh-tay-o
Also known as: The Macuiltonaleque
Origin: Aztec
The Ahuiateteo embody the dangers and consequences of overindulgence, including excessive drinking, gambling, and sex. Each of the five spirits bears a calendar name incorporating the number five:
• 5 Flower (Macuilxochitl)
• 5 Lizard (Macuilcuetzpalin)
• 5 Vulture (Macuilcozcacuahtli)
• 5 Rabbit (Macuiltochtli)
• 5 Grass (Macuilmalinalli)
Macuilxochitl (5 Flower), another name for Xochipilli, Prince of Flowers, is the chief Ahuiateteo, Lord of the Lords. For the Aztecs, the number five symbolized excess: one too many. When you’ve had five, you’ve had too much (the fifth cigarette; the fifth drink; the fifth cup of coffee; the fifth hand of cards …). Punishment for excess was perceived in Aztec cosmology as a natural consequence. The Ahuiateteo were in charge of making sure punishment was administered, usually in the form of illness. The Ahuiateteo are also invoked by fortune-tellers and diviners to help read the writing on the wall.
