Coatlicue

Coatlicue was the mother goddess of the Aztec culture which had a dual nature . In the same way that she could be very loving and provide all the necessary conditions for humanity to survive, she could also be a relentless goddess who devoured human life through natural disasters . She was seen as a mother figure who inspired love on the one hand but also inspired fear .

Coatlicue Features

There were several characteristics that represented this important goddess, among the most important the following are mentioned.

• Its name meant ” skirt of the serpent .”
• She was considered the mother goddess of the whole earth.
• It was venerated during spring rituals , in the rainy seasons at autumn festivals where human sacrifices were even made.
• For Aztec mythology , she was actually a priestess who had the task of maintaining the sanctuary that was located on top of the legendary mountain known as Coatepec or mountain of the serpent.
• Its shape was similar to that of a human body since its trunk was divided into 4 areas, legs , a snake skirt , the thorax and a mass placed in the upper part that simulated a head .

History of Coatlicue

Her story says that one day while she was sweeping the sacred mountain, a ball of feathers fell from the sky and she decided to keep one. It would be this pen responsible for making her pregnant and the son she had was the Huitzilopochtli war . The story also tells that her daughter , Coyolxauhqui , who was a powerful goddess, was outraged at the situation and took it upon herself to make her brothers try together with her to kill her mother .

But the plan did not succeed why one of his brothers he repented and decided to tell her mother what was happening. Faced with this situation and to defend his mother, Huitzilopochtli comes out of the womb as an adult and also armed as an invincible warrior . In this way this god murders his sister to give protection to her mother . 

What was she goddess of

Coatlicue was the earthly goddess of life and death and was also the mother of all the gods that existed. She was also the patroness of the Parthians, she was related to wars, governments and agriculture .

What function did

Its main function was to provide fertility and to be the mother of the gods that were part of Aztec mythology. She was also the goddess of life and death , the one who was in charge of the rebirth of being the mother of Huitzilopochtli .

Who was his son

Her son was Huitzilopochtli , who was born from her womb after she found the feather that had fallen from the sky.

Coatlicue Power

Coatlicue the great power I approached the earth to generate life . It was also related to the power of motherhood and life-giving qualities. By having several serpents in its symbols, it had the power to give fertility to men and soils.

How is it represented?

She was depicted with a rather unpleasant appearance , as a woman wearing a skirt full of snakes and on her neck she had a necklace of hearts that had been torn from the victims. She also had very sharp claws on her hands and also on her feet and was seen as a goddess who was always thirsty for human sacrifice .

From his head , two streams of blood came out that had the shape of snakes and that when they joined their jaws they gave the shape of a fantastic face . In its back part several strips of red leather also hung as an ornament and at its ends they had snails which are a common characteristic of the gods of the earth.

Temples

His temple was the Templo Mayor or Great Temple of Mexico which was an enclosure that was composed of several constructions and towers of the indigenous people who performed their worship . This temple was in fact one of the most important places in the entire religious , political , economic and mythological life of the Mexica as it was their meeting place for parties and even for funerals.

Coatlicue symbols

In its symbols you can see an anthropomorphic being that had a female form and in it several elements that included animals and some virtual objects. On his neck and on his wrists you can see terrifying snakes which symbolize the blood that is responsible for fertilizing the earth . She had a skirt made of snakes which intertwine to form a pattern carrying a necklace with hearts that apparently had belonged to some of her victims, she also had some hands and a skull .

This necklace represented the human sacrifice so that the vital liquid could flow and so that the wars would be won. Instead of having a head it had two snakes that faced each other face to face, each of which was divided into two halves and then joined in the center and thus give the illusion of a face , in its central part it had a forked tongue and large, ferocious fangs protruded from its mouth .

She also had flabby breasts which represented a mother who had nursed thousands of gods and represented the maturity that a woman can only reach after having raised several children. Her skirt full of snakes was also related to the animal world and the movement of life and death .

Instead of feet, this goddess had claws that represented or symbolized the brutal forces that existed in nature as well as the great strength that the goddess had, it was a representation of her double personality , on the one hand maternal but on the other hand murderous. Finally, it had a nest of feathers from which two individual feathers were detached on each side, symbolizing the principle of duality .

Importance

For the Aztec culture , Coatlicue was a goddess of great importance since she was considered the mother of all the gods , in other words she was the mother of the sun , the moon and the stars . It was also the goddess who was in charge of giving women femininity, intervening in aspects related to sexuality .