Zithû or Zidhû: "the Devil" or "Death" among the eastern Otomi of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico
Zithú, "The name devourer", is identified by the eastern Otomi of the state of Hidalgo, in Mexico, as "the Devil". However, such a denomination was imposed by the evangelizers of the 16th century on all the deities of pre-Hispanic cultures, since, for them, the Devil had ruled these lands, deceiving its inhabitants to idolize him, but had " disguised” as false gods. Among the Otomi of the Mezquital Valley, the word Zithú does not exist nor does it correspond to the name of Devil, for them, there is only the word Zidhú, "the venerable Death". The phonological similarity lends itself to reflect on what deity was replaced and hidden by the name of Devil imposed by the religious? In this work, it is intended to elucidate, from the ethnographic data, the possible identity of the "Devil" with some of the "old" deities of pre-Hispanic heritage.
Keywords: Eastern Otomi – the Devil – Death – deities
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