New World Mythology Dog Names

This unique name, pronounced as  [ˈʃolot͡ɬ] belongs to the Aztec god associated with death and lightning. Apart from that, Xolotl was considered to be the guardian of the Sun on its travels to the underworld at the end of each day, so he is also considered the god of the sunset as well. But probably the most important trait that Xolotl had was his association with the gods, as he often took the dog form. It was believed that Xolotl and his dog were leading the souls into the underworld, easing their transition and making the journey more bearable. If that wasn’t enough, Xolotl had other responsibilities as well. He was often thought of as the god of fire and lightning, the god of twins, the god of monsters and sickness, deformities, and misfortune. That’s quite the list!

Aztecs thought of Xolotl as a sinister deity who, as said before, protected the sun while it set every night. He is the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl, god of wind and wisdom, and as his twin, he also wore the wind jewel or the ehecailacocozcatl in the shape of a seashell. Xolotl and Quetzalcoatl went together to Mictlan, known as the land of the dead, and retrieved the bones of those who lived in the world before this one, called Nahui Atl. They used the bones to create life in the New World, known as Nahui Ollin.

He is usually depicted as a man with the head of a dog, or in a full dog form. He can also be seen as a skeleton, or a monster with reversed feet. Obviously, his spirit animal is the Xoloitzcuintli dog, but also a special species of a salamander called Axolotl. Xoloitzcuintli dogs, also known as Xolos are hairless dogs, and are sometimes called Mexican hairless dogs, favorites of the famous artist Diego Rivera. Xolo dogs were considered to be the companions of Aztecs in both this life and the afterlife. Numerous statues and sculptures of Xolo dogs were found near and on Aztec burial grounds, which proves that they worshiped Xolotl extensively.

In the Aztec funeral rituals, dogs were often offered as sacrifice, as it was considered that they help their owners cross into the afterlife, crossing a deep river in Mictlan, the underworld. And even though that practice is not humane at all, it shows how much dogs were worshiped in the Aztec culture and what a significant role they played in the lives of humans at the time.