Coatlicue

She of the Serpent Skirt

Coatlicue, meaning "She of the Serpent Skirt," was the primordial earth mother goddess of the Aztecs, embodying both the terror and the nurturing power of the earth itself. Her famous statue in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City depicts her with a skirt of writhing serpents, a necklace of human hearts, hands, and skulls, clawed feet, and two serpent heads forming her face - representing the duality of life and death.

Mother of Gods

Coatlicue was mother to the Centzon Huitznahua (the 400 stars of the southern sky), Coyolxauhqui (the moon goddess), and most importantly, Huitzilopochtli (the sun god). Her children represented the celestial bodies locked in eternal conflict, playing out the daily drama of sunrise as Huitzilopochtli defeated his siblings.

The Birth at Coatepec

The central myth of Coatlicue tells of her miraculous pregnancy on the sacred mountain Coatepec (Serpent Hill). While sweeping the temple as a penitent, a ball of feathers descended from the heavens and she became pregnant. Her 400 sons, led by Coyolxauhqui, viewed this as a disgrace and marched to kill her. At the moment of her death, Huitzilopochtli sprang fully armed from her womb and slaughtered his siblings.

Earth and Sacrifice

As an earth deity, Coatlicue required nourishment through sacrifice to remain fertile. The Aztecs believed the earth literally consumed the dead, recycling them into new life - hence her terrifying imagery of devoured hearts and severed limbs.