Mictlan
Mictlan (also Mitlan ) was the name of the underworld and the place of death in Aztec mythology . The ruler of Mictlan was Mictlantecuhtli ( Lord of Death ), who was usually depicted as a formidable figure.
In the three-level conception of the Aztecs, Mictlan was the lowest level under Topan (the upper world) and Cemanahuatl (the middle world inhabited by humans).
After Mictlan came all people who died of natural causes. Fallen warriors or women who died giving birth to a child went straight to a higher level and did not have to go through Mictlan. The same applied to people who drowned or were struck by lightning.
The Mictlan underworld consisted of nine stages that one went through over four years. During this time you had to pass difficult exams to climb the levels. At the end of this time, the deceased came to a seven-armed river, which could only be overcome with the help of the soul guide Xolotl (the guardian of the underworld). Only after crossing the river did one arrive at Omeyocan , which was the final destination in the interior of the sky.
