In Aztec mythology , Huitzilopochtli , also spelled Uitzilopochtli , , was a god of war , a sun god , and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan . In Aztec mythology , Huitzilopochtli , also spelled ' ( `` Hummingbird on the Left '' , or `` Left-Handed Hummingbird '' , huitzilin being Nahuatl for hummingbird ) , was a god of war , a sun god , and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan . He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan .