Mictlān
/ˈmikt͡ɬaːn/noun
In Aztec or Mexica mythology, Mictlān is the underworld and final destination of most of the dead.
Did you know?Mictlān was ruled by Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl, the lord and lady of the dead, rather than being a realm of eternal punishment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Nahuan
Proto-Nahuan
*mīq-tlān
“Place associated with the dead; reconstructed source of the Classical Nahuatl term”
Classical Nahuatl
Nahuatl
mictlān
“Land or place of the dead; the underworld”
Pre-Columbian Mexico
Nahuatl
Mictlān
“The underworld ruled by Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl”
16th Century
Spanish
Mictlan
“The Mexica underworld, recorded by Spanish colonial writers”
Modern English
English
Mictlan
“The underworld in Mexica or Aztec mythology”
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