 A small fire was permanently kept alive at the sacred center of every Aztec home in honor of Xiuhtecuhtli.The Nahuatl word "xihuitl" means "year" as well as "turquoise" and "fire", and Xiuhtecuhtli was also the god of the year and of time.The Lord of the Year concept came from the Aztec belief that Xiuhtecuhtli was the North Star.