The Aztec god of death, Mictlantecuhtli, was displeased at the outcome of the Spanish Conquest. The rebirth of Mexico left the gods behind and removed him from his seat of power. He, along with Tezcatlipoca, hatched a plot in order to regain his throne. Eventually, their plans led them to kidnap 21-year-old Diego de la Muerte. Diego was a Mexican-American living in Whittier, California. He was anticipating the upcoming Dia de Los Muertos festival and had purchased an undead Mariachi suit. He also applied the traditional facial markings and had recently gotten a tattoo for the occasion. The tattoo was of a skull or Calavera of sorts inspired by a design from an Aztec temple. Little did Diego know, the tattoo was actually an ancient death symbol and paid homage to the god of death. While driving to the festival, he is struck by lightning and veers off the road into a tree. The crash ended his life on this world. He soon awakened in Mictlan to be sacrificed in an ancient ritual in which his heart is ripped out with an obsidian blade and placed in a clay pot. Surprisingly, Tezcatlipoca attempted to delay or even prevent the sacrifice. He offered to test the brightness of Diego's flame to be sure- but the god of death could not be reasoned with and continued with the ritual as planned. After tearing Diego's still beating heart out of his chest, Mictlantecuhtli burnt his facial markings into his face. Afterward, Diego was returned to earth via lightning bolt, exactly one year after his death
Film adaption
Tezcatlipoca appears in the 2007 live-action film adaptionEl Muerto written and directed by Brian Cox. The character's depiction in the film differs slightly from his comic book incarnation. Like the comic book, Tezcatlipoca is shown to manifest himself upon reflective surfaces, especially in mirrors. Throughout the movie however, he is not shown to have a tangible form. Towards the end of the film, the viewer is able to make out some of the god's facial features, but nothing more. The character was brought to life mainly through visual effects and CGI, his voice being supplied by actor Alfonso Arau.
