Mictlantecuhtli

Mictlantecuhtli was the evil lord of the Aztec underworld, Mictlan. It was called the Place of the Fleshless. He was depicted as a bloody skeleton with bones shoved into his ears, draped in a necklace of human eyes. Mictlantecuhtli devoured the dead. Those who did not die heroes were sent to his abode to live as weasels and beetles, drinking pus and eating scabs. Since departed souls lived in constant fear of the death gods appetite, their living relatives would make human sacrifices on their behalf.

The souls of those sacrificed were thought to be consumed before those of the relatives, hopefully staving off the ravenous gods hunger. Such sacrificial rituals may have even been cannibalistic, though evidence is not entirely clear. Despite the fear that Mictlantecuhtli inspired, he was also worshiped as a healer and associated with childbirth. His skeletal form was sometimes depicted with an open liver. The liver was believed to be the organ where the soul resided, which was connected to Mictlan, where all lifeforce originated. Bones were considered a lifegiving source of light and heat in Aztec mythology, and it was believed that Mictlantecuhtli suffered his skeletal form because he was sacrificing his own health for that of his worshipers.