Coyote Dreamed

Yohualtepuztli, the Night Hatchet, is a manifestation of Tezcatlipoca, the lord of the whims of fate. He continues to be part of the popular culture of Mexico, appearing widely across cultures and tribes. He appears as a headless man, whose chest is open in a gaping wound, revealing his beating heart. The gash in his chest opens and snaps shut, causing a loud booming sound, like a woodman chopping a tree. With this sound he announces his presence. When a young warrior who was stout of heart heard this sound reverberating across the forest at night, he would race after it. Yohualtepoztli would flee, leading the young man running across ravines, forests, and cliffs, until, exhausted, Yohualtepoztli would turn to face him. If the young man was brave enough, he would reach into his chest and grab his heart. Yohualtepoztli would cry out to him, “Release my heart!” and struggle violently against him. He would offer him a thorn, and then another and another, for as long as the youth was able to struggle against him with his hand on his heart. When at last he was thrown off, he would go home, the thorns in his hand, and place them on his altar. For each thorn given to him by Yohualtepoztli, he would capture one enemy in battle, thus securing his destiny as a great warrior who would grow powerful and wealthy. To the Chiapanecos in Southern Mexico, Yohualtepoztli is known as the Buen Amigo, the Good Friend. He is a protector of the beasts of the forest, in particular of the deer, who sleep in his house. When the pounding of his chest is heard, it signifies that the Buen Amigo, Yohualtepoztli, is present, and will protect the animals from the hunters, and that perhaps no hunting should take place on those days. His nahual or “spirit animal” is a white deer, which must not be hunted, for it is Yohualtepoztli himself, and to kill it would bring great misfortune to the hunter. Yohualtepoztli is often treated like a Native American monster story, a frightening ghost who inhabits the mountains. But he is in fact a nature spirit, a mighty god who protects the mountains from the excessive depredations of men and who brings woe upon those who hunt in a manner which exceeds the honorable harvest.