Itzpapalotl (.WAV)
Relief in stone of Itzpapalotl, the Obsidian Butterfly, in stance of descent. Worshiped since before Tenochtitlan, this goddess is a somewhat darker aspect of the Earth Mother figure and a patroness of warriors. Here she is depicted with fangs (bottom of image) and eagle claws - fitting for a goddess who grasps the sky like a bird. Note the butterfly wings on the sides of her arms. NMAH
This deity has a strong resemblance to the Aztec Itzpapalotl above, but it also bears many characteristics that originated from the Gulf of Mexico. The conical headpiece, for example, is typical of Huaxtec deities and priests, so the example of Tlazolteotl below. This goddess also wears the hooked earrings common to Huaxtec figures; this particular earring is the epcololli. The stone carving hails from Tepetzintla, Veracruz. NMAH
Coatlicue, She who Wears the Serpent Skirt, is a unique figure, even in Mesoamerica. The Aztecs recognize her both as a serpentine form of the Earth Mother, and more importantly as the mother of their patron deity Huitzilopochtli (.WAV), the war god who brought the Aztecs to the island in Lake Texcoco from which they would build their empire. Coatlicue had unintentionally conceived Huitzilopochtli by tucking a blue feather in her skirt - this new conception would offend her 400 children, who would conspire to kill their mother. With a reassurance from the god in her womb, she stood at the Serpent Mountain Coatepec and awaited their approach. Huitzilopochtli would then emerge, fully armed, and he would kill all the brothers and sisters ready to slaughter him and his mother. From some accounts, the reason for the two serpent heads rising from her neck is that they have formed from the streams of blood rising from her decapitated neck. (The identical thought is used in the Decapitated Ball-Player relief.) NMAH
Okay, more menacing. In a few accounts this sculpture is said to represent the Goddess of Death, but the fact that this figure retains the serpent-laden skirt denotes Coatlicue. Although this rendition of Coatlicue is a fraction in size of the famous one above, this one holds off as even more frightful with its deathly stare. NMAH
The "Serpent Woman" wears a cloak rising to a serpentine hood. She holds a rattle in her left hand and a serpent in her right. Cihuacoatl was not only a goddess's name but additionally the title of one of the highest ranking priests in the Aztec hierarchy. This Aztec sculpture comes from Cuernavaca, Morelos. NMAH
Long held to represent the Toltec concept of the Feathered Serpent, this stela is an Aztec relief of the Serpent Goddess Cihuacoatl. As in the image above, a human face emerges from serpentine jaws, here surrounded with long, flowing quetzal feathers. No other goddess received as many Aztec sacrifices. NMAH
The "Lord of the Earth," or Tlalteuctli (.WAV), is very closely linked to Coatlicue. In fact, a relief of Tlalteuctli appears on the underfoot of the giant Coatlicue statue. When the Spanish told the Aztecs to renounce their pagan deities, the Spanish were pleased to see the Aztecs turning the gods' faces down against the ground as if in rejection. This was actually strengthening their worship of the gods! Many Aztec sculptures have a god's face on the underside that faces the earth - this was a reverent tribute to the deities that the Spanish did not realize. The divisions between male and female are intentionally blurred, and although the term teuctli usually indicates a "Lord," it is gender-neutral and can equally apply to females. The image of Tlalteuctli in the stela here depicts her (or him) descending into the earth. GT
A more bestial representation of the Earth as the great consuming monster. The Earth was seen as an indiscriminate devourer, consuming life in order to generate it anew. While in some myths the earth was in fact formed from the back of the great crocodilian beast Cipactli, the crocodilian aspects are not as pronounced here. The open jaws stretch across the top of the piece, though the eyes are both on the same side of the head. Richard Townsend has suggested that the Earth Monster may further specify the conquered Aztec world, or the lands that the Aztecs "civilized" in their expansion. NMAH
