Celebrations in honor of Huitzilopochtli dominated the religion ceremonies of Tenochtitlan, and he frequently took a role in festivities to other gods. Outside Tenochtitlan, Tezcatlipoca may have been the most important god, and the two were often honored together in Tenochtitlan. Thus, during Toxcatl, the veintena (twenty days) dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli played a prominent role, and during Panquetzaliztli, the veintena dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca was also propitiated. Unlike most Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli had a stand-in, not just an impersonator, during many actual festivals. Known as Painal, the substitute wore Huitzilopochtli’s attributes and may be seen as another aspect of his own numen.
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