Glossary for The Smoking Mirror

I’ve created a list of mythological characters, objects, places and concepts mentioned or featured in
The Smoking Mirror. Here’s an audio recording of these words to help with pronunciation.

Acolmiztli—A black puma who leads the Balamija in the second level of Mictlan

Ahuiateteo—Gods of vice and excess.

ahuitzotl—(pl. ahuitzomeh) “Water dog,” a sort of magical aquatic creature with a hand at the end of its tail.

Ajalob—The Lords of Xibalba.

Apanhuiayo—A putrid lake near the center of Mictlan in the ninth level.

Balamija—“Jaguar House,” the tribe of jaguars and pumas that inhabit the second level of Mictlan. Also spelled Balamiha.

Black Road, the—One of four paths into the Underworld, the only one that living humans can use.

cehualli—See “shadow magic”

Chalmecatl—A massive serpent guarding the entrance to the Underworld. Brother of Xochitonal. Also the name of one of the three Lords of the Green Quarter of Xibalba.

chay abah—A large obsidian mirror used to travel between realms.

Chicunamictlan—“The Halls of Death,” the fortress at the center of Mictlan.

Chignahuapan—A vast and dangerous river that rings the Underworld (more properly “Chiucnahuapan” in Nahuatl)

Chipohyoh—Name given to Johnny Garza by the Balamija.

cuauhcualli—A sort of stone dungeon beneath the Mitnal.

Dark Lord, the—See “Tezcatlipoca”.

Feathered One, the—See “Quetzalcoatl”.

First Age, the—The era from the creation of the earth to its first destruction by Tezcatlipoca.

Fifth Age, the—The present era of history.

García Caves—A complex of caverns in the mountains of northern Mexico that leads to the realm of the Tzapame

Huitzilopochtli—The god of war.

Itzeecayan—“Land of the Cold Razor Winds,” the eighth level of the Underworld.

Itzocelotl—A black jaguar of the Balamija.

Ixcuinan–The Paradox, goddess of sin and forgiveness. Also known as Tlazolteotl.

Ixpuztec—A pterodactyl-like monster with the backward-bent legs of a rooster and a shattered, scarred, human-like face. Able to assume multiple forms to drive people to despair.

kamasotz—“Snatch-bat,” a creature from the bowels of Mictlan.

Kisin—Speaker of the Ajalob and High Lord of Xibalba, capital city of Mictlan.

Kotzabalam—A were-jaguar from the second level of Mictlan, part of the Balamija.

Little People, the—Tzapame, a race of elf-like beings.

Lechuza—Large screech owl, often a nagual in owl form.

Lord of Chaos, the—See “Tezcatlipoca”.

Lords of the Black Quarter—Three members of the Ajalob who govern a fourth of Xibalba: Ah Pukuh, Hunhau and Akan

Lords of the Green Quarter—Three members of the Ajalob who govern a fourth of Xibalba: Chalmecatl, Chalmecacíhuatl, and Nexoxocho.

Lords of the Red Quarter—Three members of the Ajalob who govern a fourth of Xibalba: Yoaltecuhtli, Yoalcíhuatl and Tzontémoc.

Lords of the White Quarter—Three members of the Ajalob who govern a fourth of Xibalba: Techlotl, Cuezalli, and Itzcoliuhqui.

Malinalli Tenepal—Also Malintzin or Malinche, the indigenous princess whose knowledge had helped Hernán Cortes defeat the Aztecs.

Mictlan—See “Underworld, the.”

Mictlantecuhtli—Lord of the Dead, ruler of the Underworld

Mictecacíhuatl—Lady of the Dead, ruler of the Underworld

Mitnal—the Council Chamber of the Ajalob.

Muan—A prince of the Underworld, chief among the Tlatlacatecolo, Keeper of Mictlantecuhtli’s Strigine Brigade.

nagual(es)—Shapeshifter(s); also nahualli.

Nahualocelomeh—(s. nahualocelotl) “Were-jaguars,” giants given shapeshifting ability by Tezcatlipoca.

nahualli—(pl. nahualtin) See “nagual”.

Nextepehua—Prince of Ashes, a demon of the Underworld

Nine Deadly Deserts, the—Different stages or levels of the Underworld (blackness, bats and jaguars, cold, haunted ruins, lava plains, ashes, heart-eating demons, obsidian winds and a putrid lake)

Pingo—One of the Little People; liaison with the Garza twins.

Quetzalcoatl—Lord of Creation and Order; brother of Tezcatlipoca.

sacred singer—Someone able to wield sacred song magic.

sacred song magic—Sorcery that uses singing to work spells.

shadow magic—The dark power of chaos wielded by Tezcatlipoca and his minions.

teocuicani—See “sacred singer”.

teocuicayotl—See “sacred song magic”.

teotl—Divine energy found in all living things.

Tepeme Monamictia—the “Crashing Mountains,” a sort of perilous gateway into the Underworld (also tepetl imonamiquiyan or “place where the mountains crash”)

Tepeyollotl—“Mountain Heart,” the nahualli of Tezcatlipoca; a massive jaguar.

Tezcatlipoca—Lord of destruction and chaos; brother of Quetzalcoatl.

Tlatlacatecolo—“Man-owls,” humanoid owls from the Underworld’s lowest levels.

Tlecoatl—A wyrm under Huitzilopochtli’s command

tonalli—A secondary spirit formed from teotl; the animal soul of a nagual.

tonal—A nagual’s animal soul.

Tonantzin—“Our Beloved Mother,” the supreme goddess.

Tukumbalam—A giant shapeshifter from the second level of Mictlan who assumes jaguar shape as part of the Balamija.

tzapame—See “Little People, the”.

tzapatzin—Singular form of tzapame.

tzitzimitl—(pl. tzitzimimeh) Star demon, a sort of destructive goddess capable of triggering an apocalypse.

Underworld, the—Mictlan, a nine-layered afterlife nestled among the roots of the World Tree presently controlled by Tezcatlipoca, though overseen by Lord and Lady Death.

Well of Souls, the—The place at the very heart of the Underworld where purified souls pass Beyond.

World Tree, the—The axis of the universe, joining Mictlan, the earth and the thirteen heavens.

wyrm—A dragon-like winged serpent.

Xibalba—The capital city of Mictlan.

Xiuhcoatl—The personal wyrm of Huitzilopochtli

Xochitonal—A giant green lizard that guards the entrance to the Underworld. Brother of Chalmecatl.

Xolotl—The nahualli of Quetzalcoatl; exists separately from the god now, mostly in the form of a large dog, in Mictlan.

xoxal—Savage magic, a little-understood force possessed by twin shapeshifters.