A Tzitzimītl (plural Tzitzimīmeh ) is a type of celestial deity associated with stars in Aztec mythology . They were depicted as skeletal female figures wearing skirts often with skull and crossbones designs. In post-conquest descriptions they are often described as " demons " or "devils", but this does not necessarily reflect their function in the prehispanic belief system of the Aztecs.
18-546: The Tzitzimimeh were female deities and related to fertility. They were associated with the Cihuateteo and other female deities such as Tlaltecuhtli , Cōātlīcue , Citlālicue and Cihuacōātl , and they were worshipped by midwives and parturient women. The leader of the tzitzimimeh was the goddess Itzpapalotl , who was the ruler of Tamoanchan , the paradise where the Tzitzimimeh resided. The Tzitzimimeh were also associated with
36-531: Is often associated with darkness and the earth. Not only was Cihuatlampa a place of darkness, but most Aztec associations with the earth (and particularly earth goddesses) symbolize both childbirth and sacrifice, two of the defining traits of the cihuateteo themselves. El Zapotal El Zapotal is a Totonac archaeological site located in the Ignacio de la Llave Municipality in Veracruz , Mexico. It contains
54-696: The Museo de Antropología de Xalapa . El Zapotal is a significant Totonac site whose apogee seems to have occurred at the end of the Late Classical Period and the beginning of the Early Postclassical period. Although it contains many buildings, only a few have been explored. One notable sculpture, made from painted, unbaked clay, is an image of Mictlantecuhtli , the Death God, represented as an emaciated person. The sculpture sits on an elaborate throne, and
72-504: The cihuateteo descended to the earth: 1 Deer, 1 Rain, 1 Monkey, 1 House, and 1 Eagle. While on earth, they were considered to be demons of the night, and often haunted crossroads. Roadside shrines were often erected to appease them, as they were believed to steal children, cause madness and seizures, and induce men to adultery. The figure of a cihuateotl from the Metropolitan Museum of Art has been inscribed on top of her head with
90-448: The backrest is integrated into the huge headdress worn by the deity, with human skulls in profile and the heads of fantastic lizards and jaguars. The body of the statuette is emaciated, with some joints, bones, ribs, and the skull exposed. In addition, its tongue hangs out as a symbol of the dark underworld. The sculpture is located on the side of a shrine. The side walls of the shrine were decorated with scenes of priests in procession on
108-404: The departure of the soul from the body. In these special practices, the body was guarded fiercely by an armed entourage that included the widowed husband, his friends, all the midwives, and old women. This was deemed necessary due to the need to protect the woman's human remains from male warriors. Parts of the body believed to be especially potent relics for warriors were the left middle finger and
126-471: The fear of change. The Tzitzimimeh had a double role in Aztec religion: they were protectresses of the feminine and progenitresses of mankind. They were also powerful and dangerous, especially in periods of cosmic instability. cenca nemauhtiloya mitoaya intla quitlamiz in quiqua tonatiuh quilmach çentlaiovaz valtemozque in ţiţimime techquazque There was great fear. It was said that if [the moon] finished eating
144-450: The fifth sun would end and they would descend to devour the last of men. The Tzitzimimeh were also feared during other ominous periods of the Aztec world, such as during the five unlucky days called Nemontemi which marked an unstable period of the xiuhpōhualli (solar year count) and during the New Fire ceremony marking the beginning of a new calendar round; both were periods associated with
162-469: The hair. According to Aztec belief, “these relics had magical power and, if placed on their shields, would make the warriors brave and valiant, give them strength, and blind the eyes of their enemies.” Cihuateteo can be characterized as “fearsome figures with clenched, claw-like fists, macabre, bared teeth and gums and aggressive poses.” Sitting with their clawed feet tucked beneath their skirts, they seem at once in repose and ready to attack. In Aztec art,
180-486: The name Ce Calli , “1 House,” while the figure from the British Museum is inscribed with the glyph “1 Monkey”—these indicate their respective days of descent. When an Aztec woman experienced childbirth , it was seen as a violent and laborious effort likened to the intensity of battle. It was believed that the child was sent down to the earth by the gods, and the woman had to fight and struggle in order to bring it into
198-538: The postpartum female body is often depicted with pendulous breasts and stomach folds. Within Aztec artistic tradition, cihuateteo are commonly depicted with taut stomachs, exposed breasts, and prominent nipples. These are all features that serve to highlight their unrealized potential as mothers, as these women died before having the opportunity to bear and nurse their newborn child. Oftentimes, cihuateteo are also depicted with swirling, unkempt orange hair and skirts fastened with snake belts. Cihuateteo figures found at
SECTION 10
#1732868779610216-471: The ruins of a Totonac city that flourished from 600 to 900 CE, during what archaeologists call the Classical Period . The site of El Zapotal was discovered in 1971 when several human burials with offerings of clay sculptures were found. The sculptures included a group of women with naked torsos, identified as representations of Cihuatéotl , the lady of the land; these representations are now exhibited in
234-414: The site of El Zapotal even carry staffs bearing heads as trophies, and seem to be covered with flayed skins, which suggests deference or worship to a female vegetation deity. The serpent around the waist may be a reference to the serpentine goddess Cihuacoatl , who was not only associated with war, sacrifice, and political power, but also with fertility, childbirth, and midwifery. Finally, the unkempt hair
252-462: The stars and especially the stars that can be seen around the Sun during a solar eclipse. This was interpreted as the Tzitzimimeh attacking the Sun, thus causing the belief that during a solar eclipse , the tzitzimime would descend to the earth and possess men. It was said that if the Tzitzimimeh could not start a bow fire in the empty chest cavity of a sacrificed human at the end of a 52-year calendar round,
270-448: The sun into the west from noon until sunset, and are occasionally suggested to have even borne it through the underworld until it rose again. They were aided by the spirits of male warriors, and this practice of guiding the sun was seen as exclusive to these two groups of the deceased—it was an honor that was not bestowed on any other individuals. On five specific days in the Aztec calendar ,
288-512: The sun, so it was said, all would be in darkness; the Tzitzimimeh would descend here; they would devour us. Cihuateteo In Aztec mythology , the Cihuateteo ( / s iː ˌ w ɑː t ɪ ˈ t eɪ oʊ / ; Classical Nahuatl : Cihuātēteoh , in singular Cihuātēotl ) or "Divine Women", were the spirits of women who died in childbirth. They were likened to the spirits of male warriors who died in violent conflict, because childbirth
306-447: The world. The newborn child was seen as a sufficient reward if she was successful and emerged victorious from her “fight” with the gods, but if she lost and proved unsuccessful, then she died and her soul underwent transformation into a cihuateotl . In the case of the death of the woman, special funerary practices were carried out, as the body of a woman who had died in childbirth was believed to possess special powers and magic following
324-421: Was conceptually equivalent to battle in Aztec culture. According to tradition, a woman in labor was said to capture the spirit of her newborn child similar to the way a warrior captures his opponent in battle. These spirits are also associated with the west, the place where the sun sets each day. The Cihuateteo resided in a region in the west known as Cihuatlampa , the “place of women.” Each day, they guided
#609390