Which Aztec festival honored the god Xipe Totec and involved the flaying of sacrificial victims?

The Aztec festival that honored Xipe Totec and involved the flaying of sacrificial victims was Tlacaxipehualiztli.

The Nahuatl name is commonly translated as “flaying of men.” It was associated with Xipe Totec, a deity connected with renewal, agriculture, vegetation, and the seasonal cycle. The festival’s imagery reflected the idea of new life emerging when an old covering is shed, much as plants appear to renew themselves after the dry season.

Spanish colonial accounts describe captives or enslaved people being selected for sacrifice, including gladiatorial-style combat. After a victim’s heart was removed, the skin could be flayed and worn by priests or ritual impersonators representing Xipe Totec. The practice was intended to embody the god and the transformation central to the festival.

Dates and details vary among historical accounts because the Mexica calendar does not map neatly onto the modern Gregorian calendar, and chroniclers recorded ceremonies differently. Tlacaxipehualiztli should not be confused with Xipe Totec himself: one is the festival, while the other is the deity it honored.