In Aztec cosmology, Tlaltecuhtli was closely associated with the sun and the moon and was seen as a critical player in the cyclical nature of life. She was also revered as a patron of agriculture and fertility and was often invoked by the Aztecs in drought or other natural disasters. Tlaltecuhtli was also associated with death and the underworld. In Aztec mythology, the underworld was seen as a place of great danger and great potential, and Tlaltecuhtli was believed to hold the key to this mysterious realm. It was thought that those who died in battle or in other honourable ways could enter the underworld and be resurrected by Tlaltecuhtli, who would grant them new life and strength.

Classic Maya texts from the fifth century BCE mention a ferocious water monster with crocodile features; an earlier Olmec account of a nightmare with shark-like characteristics may have inspired this creature. In the guise of giant snakes, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca descended from the sky one day. They discovered Tlaltecuhtli perched atop the ocean, according to the creation myths of the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican civilizations of the Late Postclassic period. Capacity, which means “spiny one,” is another name for this creature that appears in several stories. The grotesque beast croaked menacingly for a meal of human flesh, revealing enormous fangs and crocodile skin, with gnashing mouths at her knees and elbows. Two gods decided that the fifth and final cosmos couldn’t survive with such a demonic creature, so they killed her. Tezcatlipoca’s left foot was amputated after a fierce struggle. Then, with a tremendous heave, one deity grabbed Tlaltecuhtli’s hand and left foot, while another god grabbed Tlaltecuhtli’s left hand and right foot.

Other gods were outraged by what they heard about Tlatecuhtli and decided that her dismembered bodily parts should become significant aspects of the new universe. This is why her face turned into grasses and small flowers, her hair into trees, flowers, and herbs, her eyes into springs and wells, her nose into valleys and lesser mountains, her shoulders into mountains, and her mouth into caverns and rivers. Mesoamericans believed that Tlaltecuhtli, even after being dismembered and converted into geographical features, still existed as a goddess of the ground and that any unexplained noises emanating from these features were the result of the goddess’s cries of pain or her demands for human blood. Indeed, the goddess earned a rep for devouring the hearts of human sacrifices at an alarming rate. And if that hunger weren’t sated, the goddess would stop watering the ground, and the crops wouldn’t grow.

Tlaltecuhtli was also associated with the belief that she would consume the sun each night, only to spit it out the following Day with the dawn. Because of this link, As the Aztecs goddess always included her in their pre-battle prayers to the sun goddess Tezcatlipoca. Last but not least, midwives invoked her to help with difficult births, and her date glyph, 1 Rabbit, may be seen in the Gregorian calendar as that of the second of 13 Lords of the Day. Sculptures of Tlaltecuhtli, a deity with multiple incarnations in ancient Mesoamerica, date back to the Maya city of Mayapan in Yucatan. The Late Postclassic era is when these were created. In Aztec artwork, the goddess is typically depicted as a spread-eagled figure, representing the hocker or squat adopted during birth. Her teeth may be flint blades or fangs, and her skin could resemble that of a crocodile, both metaphors for the Earth’s surface.

Tlaltecuhtli is shown on a massive stone slab at the foot of a Templo Mayor in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Four fragments of the pink granite stone were broken off when the colonial structure above it collapsed. It weighs about 12 tons when fully assembled and has a footprint of 4 by 3.5 meters. Tlaltecuhtli’s recognizable squatting figure, complete with her skull and bone attire and a river of Mexican blood flowing through her gaping mouth, is carved in great relief on the stone. Archaeologists are presently studying the artefacts buried beneath the rock and the glyph on it to determine whether or not it was used to commemorate the burial of a royal, maybe Ahuitzotl.

Despite her fearsome reputation, Tlaltecuhtli was also seen as a profoundly compassionate deity willing to help and protect the weak. As such, she was greatly revered and respected by the Aztecs, who believed she held the power to shape the very foundations of the world. Today, Tlaltecuhtli remains an important figure in Aztec mythology and continues to be revered by many as a symbol of the earth’s power and fertility. Whether as a creator, a protector, or a guardian of the underworld, Tlaltecuhtli remains an enduring and fascinating symbol of the Aztec’s complex and rich cultural heritage.

Aztec Goddess: Guide to Fascinating Goddess In Aztec Mythology Such Chalchiuhtlicue, Xochiquetzal, Coatlicue, Tlaltecuhtli and Many More 

The earliest known cultures in the Americas were in the Pre-Columbian era. There are many theories about who these people were. Still, the most popular idea is that they were related to the old civilizations of South America, such as Peru and Bolivia. These early cultures had many gods and goddesses representing life’s different aspects. Researchers have counted almost 200 distinct gods in Aztec belief systems. Following are several goddesses you can find in our book.

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In Aztec mythology, Mayahuel is considered the daughter of Tzacol, the god of the maguey plant, and Patecatl, the god of pulque. She is also associated with the fertility goddesses Xochiquetzal and Tlazolteotl, as the maguey plant was believed to have aphrodisiac properties. Mayahuel is revered as a goddess of fertility, agriculture, and abundance and is believed to have medicinal properties. The maguey plant was an important resource for the Aztecs, providing them with food, clothing, shelter, and a source of intoxicating beverages.

Mayahuel is represented in the extant Aztec codices as a multi-breasted young woman who emerges from a maguey bush while toting cups of bubbling pulque. She is depicted inside the Codex Borbonicus as donning a blue outfit and a headpiece made from spindles and raw maguey fibre. The spindles represent renewal and the reorganization of chaos. Located in the Welt Museum of Vienna, Austria, is a sculpted dark green phyllite called Bilimek Pulque Vessel decorated with intricate iconographic signs. The big head sticking out from the vase’s side, which dates the object to the early 1500s, is commonly taken to represent a day sign Malinalli, the start of Mayahuel’s festival. Mayahuel’s headless body is depicted on the other side, with two rivers of aquamanile gushing from her breasts into a pulque pot.

Scenes from a wedding complete with pulque-drinking guests can also be seen on a stele from the magnificent classic era pyramid of Teotihuacan, which dates to anywhere between 500 and 900 CE. Mayahuel is shown emerging from the maguey plant while carrying a gourd in each hand in a rock painting found just at the postclassic Aztec city of Ixtapantongo. The bird’s beak and feathers serve as a crown for her head. Pantech, the dad of her four hundred children, and a pulque god stand before her. The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl created pulque so humanity would have something special to drink at feasts and celebrations, or so the legend goes. He brought the goddess of maguey down to Earth and had sex with her.

Tzitzimime, Quetzalcoatl, and Mayahuel tried to hide from Mayahuel’s vengeful grandmother and other fierce relatives by transforming into a tree, they were discovered, and Mayahuel was slain. The first maguey plant originated where Quetzalcoatl buried the goddess’s remains, leading people to believe that the plant’s sweet sap, called aguamiel, was the goddess’s life force. A variation of the narrative attributes the discovery of the aquamanile collection to a mortal woman named Mayahuel, whose husband, Pantecalt, is credited with the invention of pulque.

In addition to her association with the maguey plant, Mayahuel is sometimes depicted as a serpent or dragon, likely due to the serpentine shape of the maguey plant’s leaves. Today, Mayahuel is still remembered and celebrated in Mexico, particularly during the annual festival of the Day of the Dead, when offerings of pulque and other maguey-based products are made to honour her and other ancestors. So, Mayahuel is a significant and multifaceted goddess in Aztec mythology, revered for her associations with fertility, agriculture, and the maguey plant.

Aztec Goddess: Guide to Fascinating Goddess In Aztec Mythology Such Chalchiuhtlicue, Xochiquetzal, Coatlicue, Tlaltecuhtli and Many More 

The earliest known cultures in the Americas were in the Pre-Columbian era. There are many theories about who these people were. Still, the most popular idea is that they were related to the old civilizations of South America, such as Peru and Bolivia. These early cultures had many gods and goddesses representing life’s different aspects. Researchers have counted almost 200 distinct gods in Aztec belief systems. Following are several goddesses you can find in our book.

Download now

The post Aztec Goddess of Maguey Mayahuel appeared first on TRIDENT MYTH.

The Aztecs, unlike the Mayans, did not have a complex written language. Instead, they used a combination of logographic symbols and phonetic syllable signs, which likely emerged during the Spanish colonial era. Scholarly analysis of these symbols and tales from early colonial times has allowed us to piece together the Maya mythology we know today. Not only so, but many of these traditions have been passed down for generations with relatively minor alterations. The Aztecs probably had a good idea of what to expect from modern Day of the Dead celebrations.

There are many legends about Mictecacihuatl’s spouse, Miclantecuhtl, but not as many about her. Mictēcacihuātl is thought to have sacrificed her as a newborn before marrying her. Collectively, the Mictlan aristocracy ruled over the regular, heroic, and non-heroic souls that resided in the underworld.  Mictecacihuatl & MIclantecuhtl are credited in one variant of the tale with bringing back the bones of death to the realm of the living, where they were restored and used to spawn new races. The bones were thrown and mixed up on their passage into the land of a living, which is why there are so many different races today. The recently deceased were often buried with material possessions to appease Mictecacihuatl and Miclantecuhtl and secure their protection in the afterlife.

Mictecacihuatl is commonly depicted with her mouth wide open, suggesting that she can swallow the stars to render them invisible throughout the Day. The Aztecs portrayed Mictecacihuatl as having a skull for a face, a skirt woven from serpents, and drooping breasts. The Aztecs had festivities in honour of a deceased that they believed were supervised by Mictecacihuatl. These were later incorporated into Christian Theology during the Spanish rule of Mesoamerica with relatively few modifications. The Aztec mythological couple Mictecacihuatl & Miclantecuhtl, wife and spouse who control the afterlife, are the inspiration for the modern celebration of the Day of the Dead among the devotedly Christian Hispanic culture in Mexico and Central America, as well as among immigrants from other nations.

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