Tlazolteotl

The Filth Eater

Tlazolteotl ("Filth Deity") was the Aztec goddess of sin, purification, and confession. She embodied the paradox of moral impurity: she both incited lust and consumed its consequences. Her black-painted mouth symbolized her consumption of humanity's sins.

The Eater of Sins

In a ritual unique among world religions, Aztecs could confess their sins once in their lifetime to a priest of Tlazolteotl. She would then devour the sins, leaving the confessor spiritually clean. Most reserved this confession for their deathbed, as the absolution could only be granted once.

Four Aspects

Tlazolteotl had four manifestations representing different ages of womanhood: Tiacapan (the eldest, seductress), Teicu (the younger), Tlaco (the middle), and Xocotzin (the youngest). Together they were called the Ixcuiname, goddesses of desire and carnality.

Goddess of Childbirth

Despite her association with sin, Tlazolteotl was a patron of childbirth and midwives. The Codex Borbonicus depicts her in the position of giving birth, representing purification through the pain of labor.

Cotton and Spinning

Tlazolteotl was also goddess of cotton and patron of weavers, connecting her to Xochiquetzal. She wears a distinctive cotton headdress with spindles, linking textile production to female sexuality and fertility.