OMETECUHTLI

(Nahuatl: Two-Lord), Aztec deity, the Lord of Duality, or Lord of Life, who represented one aspect of the cosmic duality of the Aztec tradition. Along with Omechuatl, Ometecuhtli resided in Omeyocan (the place two, or double heaven), the 13th and highest Aztec heaven. The opposing factors in the Aztec universe included male and female, light and dark, motion and stillness, order and chaos. Ometecuhtli was the only Aztec god to whom no temple was erected, nor was any formal cult active in his name. Seeing him as remote in the heavens, the Aztecs assumed he would never interact with them directly, but they were aware of his presence in every act of ritual and in every rhythm of nature. As part of the Ometotl complex, representing a single creative theme, Ometecuhtli is depicted by symbols of fertility and adorned with ears of corn. He was believed to be responsible for releasing the souls of infants from Omeyocan in preparation for human births on earth. Despite the paramount importance of the Ometotl deities within the hierarchy of the heavens, other lesser gods with their own distinct personalities held dominion over specific aspects of Aztec life and were regarded as autonomous in their actions.