"a lesser deity associated with the western sky that could return to earth to torment people" (see Lisa Sousa, below); a divine or sacred force of the autonomous era (i.e. before European colonization); the name of a "demon" (see Molina); a "demon of the air" (see Sahagún); a "demon of darkness" (see Chimalpahin)--these latter explanations, of course, show European perspectives on indigenous belief and practice
auh ca yehuantin, oquintocayotitehuaque tzitzimime Coleletin, Tzontemoctin in inpan omixeuhtinenque in aquique, tlalticpac tlaca cate Tezcatlepoca, Tlalocan teacuhtli, &c. = They called "tzitzimime," "coleletin" and "tzontemoctin" the [devils] who represented themselves as being those who are people of the earth [with names like] Tezcatlipoca, Tlalocan Tecuhtli, etc.
Iztac tzitzimjtl, coztic teucujtlaio, iquetzaltemal. = the white demon of the air was of gold, and had quetzal feather balls. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
toztzitzimjtl: muchi coztic teucujtlatl injc tlachiuhtli, quetzallo, iquetzaltemal.
Xoxouhquj tzitzimjtl, quetzallo, muchi coztic teucujtlatl injc tlachiuhtli, iquetzaltemal. = The yellow demon of the air was made all of gold, and had quetzal feathers and balls of quetzal feathers.
The blue demon of the air had quetzal feathers, was made all of gold, and had balls of quetzal feathers. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
ca cenca huey tzitzimitl. huey colleletli = a very great demon of darkness, a great fiend (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
tzitzimitl = a lesser deity associated with the western sky that could return to earth to torment people
tzitzimimeh = the skeletal supernaturals who appeared during important cosmological transitions...would descend and devour people
injc tlaztlacaviaia in tzitzimjtl, in coleletli: mjiecpa monextiaia, moteittitiaia: iuhqujnma ie mocioaquetz, qujnotza, qujmottitia in jnamjc catca: qujtemolia, qujtlanjlia in cueitl vipilli in jxqujch cioatlatqujtl = The demon, the devil, deceived in this manner: many times he manifested himself; he appeared before one like one who had become a mociuaquetzqui; he addressed, he encountered the one who had been her husband; he sought, he demanded the skirt, the shift, all the equipment of women (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Centlamantli acuetzpali muchiua yn vmpa Egipto, atlan nemi cenca temamauhti yn itlachieliz vel yuhquin tzitzimitl, itoca cocodrillo, yuhquin cuetzpali yc mamaye, auh cenca veytemahmauhti yn ixincayo. Quilmach ceppa cani monamicque coyotl, yhuan ynyn acuetzpali motlatzouilique ytechpa yn intlacamecayo. = The crocodile is an animal from Egypt, frightful in appearance, and monstrous, like a lizard, its skin is frightening with wrinkles and scales, it is huge and misshapen. They say that on one occasion a context took place between this creature and a fox about the nobility and their ancestral line....(sixteenth century, central Mexico)
El diablo del monte. "Salen cinco hombres al monte y un demonio tztzimit se lleva a cuatro de ellos. El quinto, junto con el cura y los habitantes del pueblo, van a una cueva y matan al tzitzimit." (Escuchado en Zaragoza, cerca de Minatitlán, Ver. García de León, 1968, 353–354.)
auh ca yehuantin, oquintocayotitehuaque tzitzimime Coleletin, Tzontemoctin in inpan omixeuhtinenque in aquique, tlalticpac tlaca cate Tezcatlepoca, Tlalocan teacuhtli, &c. = á estos llamaron vuestros mayores Tzitzimime, que quiere dezir, feissimos monstruos, Coleletin: dañadas, y asquerosas vestias, Tzontemoctin, aquellos que cayeron del Cielo precipitados assia abajo, con sus espantables melenas.
ye anq'[ui]mati yn quitotihui in tocolhua[n] yn iquac toxiuhmolpiliz ca ce[n]tlayohuaz hualtemozque yn tzitzimime in techquazque yhua[n] yn iquac necuepaloz = ya saben lo que decían nuestros abuelos, que cuando se atara la cuenta de los años, se iba a obscurecer del todo y bajarían los tzitzimime a comernos y entonces habría una transformación de la gente (ca. 1582, México)