The Aztecs believed that four worlds or eras, called suns, existed before their own.
In the first sun, powerful giants roamed the earth. But the two gods, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, quarreled and began fighting.
Quetzalcoatl hit Tezcatlipoca with his staff, sending him tumbling into the ocean. Tezcatlipoca reemerged as a giant jaguar, and he began feasting on the giants until they were all consumed.
In the second sun, Quetzalcoatl created a race of people, but Tezcatlipoca attacked him and brought fierce blasts of wind to sweep the people away. The survivors changed as they adapted to their surroundings and became monkeys in the forest.
In the third sun, Quetzalcoatl created a massive volcanic explosion that destroyed almost everything in a rain of fire. The people were changed into birds and butterflies.
In the fourth sun, a giant flood washed away the mountains and brought the heavens crashing down to earth. This world’s people were changed into fish.
One man and one woman, however, survived by floating in a hollow tree trunk. They survived on corn they had saved until the water had dried up. When they stepped onto land, they caught some fish and built a fire to cook them.
But the drifting smoke irritated the gods in heaven.
In a fury, Tezcatlipoca came down to earth and cut off their heads and lay them on their rear ends.
Thus, dogs were created.
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