Itzcuintli

Personality

loyal · guiding · faithful · generous · protective · fortunate

In the Aztec tonalpohualli, a person whose tonalli, or birth sign, is Itzcuintli is described as loyal, generous and protective, a faithful companion and guide. Itzcuintli is the dog, which in Aztec belief guided the dead across the river of the underworld; its patron is Mictlantecuhtli, lord of Mictlan, the land of the dead, and the sign was considered fortunate for births.

Modern readings of the sign credit Itzcuintli people with faithfulness, honesty, courage, a willingness to help others through difficult passages and a natural generosity; colonial accounts link some dog births with prosperity and the ability to provide for others. Their challenges are said to be dependence, a tendency to follow rather than lead and susceptibility to being led astray by companions.

In love Itzcuintli people are portrayed as devoted and protective; in work, as guides, carers, guardians and counsellors, and in roles that accompany others through transitions, including death and grief. As with all twenty signs, the Aztec diviners read Itzcuintli together with the number of the birth day and the trecena in which it fell.