A man bends down to take a picture of a giant, symbolic sacrificial knife, part of a display of items offered to the Aztec god Xochipilli, at the Templo Mayor museum in Mexico City, Friday, Aug. 7 ...

In the pantheon of Mexico's pre-Hispanic gods, most Aztec deities are depicted as brutal, blood-thirsty beings only appeased by human sacrifices.

An image of the Aztec god Xochipilli, centre, is part of a display of items used as offerings to the god, at the Templo Mayor museum in Mexico City, Friday, Aug. 7, 2015. (AP / Rebecca Blackwell ...

From jaguars to shooting stars, these rare and meaningful Náhuatl names are steeped in centuries of culture, cosmic symbolism, and divine energy.

The Aztec hoped the gods would do things such as control the rain, produce large crops, provide more animals for hunting and prevent freezing weather during the winter.

In the pantheon of Mexico's pre-Hispanic gods, most Aztec deities are depicted as brutal, blood-thirsty beings only appeased by human sacrifices.

Members chose the name Xochipilli after the Aztec god of beauty and art, who is often depicted in statues with his face turned to the sky in the throes of drug-induced enlightenment.

In the pantheon of Mexico's pre-Hispanic gods, most Aztec deities are depicted as brutal, blood-thirsty beings only appeased by human sacrifices.

But Mexico’s Templo Mayor museum on Friday put on display for the first time an exhibition dedicated to Xochipilli, the Aztec god of singing, dancing and the morning sun.

But this month Mexico’s Templo Mayor museum put on display an exhibition dedicated to Xochipilli, the Aztec god of singing, dancing and the morning sun.