Key Info

- Culturally and mythologically significant supernatural figure that takes on various mixtures of animal and human forms

Brief Bio

Forms:

Animal Form - In this form, a reptilian head is combined with a tortoise shell body, reptilian arms and legs, claws and a flint-fire motif on the tips of the tail and nose. This form appears in cosmogony scenes illustrating the origins of ritual and cultural phenomena.

Nahual Form - This form combines animal imagery with a male, human head. In some depictions, the nahual possesses reptilian claws, while other depictions portray the figure with human hands. At times, the nahual figures holds sacrificial knives and perform sacrificial rites or other ceremonial activities.

Glyphic Form - This form incorporates the flint-flame motif into personal name symbolism of specific figures in the Mixtec codices.