In Aztec cosmogony, the xoloitzcuintle –a black, hairless dog– is responsible of carrying souls along the river of the underworld. The underworld, or Mictlán, is divided into nine different realms, each a part of the process of shedding your possessions, body, and heart to eventually become your essence and meet the god Mictlantecutli to become one with everything again. This journey takes four years.
– In the first realm, if you are kind to dogs in life, the xoloitzcuintles will guide you through the Apanohuacalhuia river, where Xochitónal, the giant iguana lives. This is the border between the world of the living and the dead. However, If you were not kind, you will get lost, become a shadow, and have perpetual ear pain because the air next to the river is cold.
– The second realm is the place where mountains collide, and in order to cross, you have to do so at the precise time, or else you get crushed by them.
– The third realm is where you have to walk along a mountain trail made of sharp obsidian. The wind is very strong here and sheds you of your possessions.
– The fourth realm is a frozen area with sharp rocks and it always snows.
–The fifth realm is a region of strong winds and no gravity, so souls are at the mercy of the direction the wind takes.
–The sixth realm is a broad path where invisible hands shoot sharp arrows to your body.
–The seventh realm is where wild animals open your chest and jaguars eat your heart.
–The eighth realm is where the Apanohuacalhuia river ends, and the souls have to cross nine deep rivers of the state of consciousness, in order to get to the other side of the valley.
–The ninth and final realm is a foggy place where souls can’t see, and their tiredness makes them reflect on their lives. Here souls become one with everything and stop suffering. Then, they meet Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacíhuatl, the god and goddess of death.
Maxim Zaragoza 