In Aztec mythology, Tecciztecatl ("old moon god"; also Tecuciztecal, Tecuciztecatl) was a lunar deity, representing the old "man-on-the-moon". He could have been the sun god, but he feared the sun's fire, so Nanahuatzin became the sun god and Tecciztecatl (in the form of a rabbit) was promptly thrown into the moon. In some depictions he carried a large, white seashell on his back, representing the moon itself; in others he had butterfly wings. He was a son of Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue.
Finally, two gods are chosen: Tecciztecatl and Nanauatl, the former because he is wealthy and the latter because he is humble.
When Tecciztecatl tries to jump into the fire, he is afraid and fails four times, because the heat is so strong.
Described as a place of unending Springtime and a paradise of green plants, Tlalocan was the destination in the afterlife for those who died violently from phenomena associated with water, such lightning, drowning and water-borne diseases.
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