Cihuacoatl
Cihuacoatl is a serpentine goddess in Aztec tradition associated with war, sacrifice, and political power, as well as fertility, childbirth, and midwifery. The serpent belt worn by cihuateteo may reference this goddess, connecting her dual nature of warfare and maternal functions.
↻ synthesized from 10 sources
When
- First attested
- 1300 CE
- Attested period
- -3000 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Aztec deity with warlike aspect, representing later Mesoamerican religious development after Teotihuacan.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Tepeyollotl, Tēteoh īnnān, Toci, Mixcōhuātl, tzitzimime, Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, Tlazolteotl, Chac Chel, Tlaltecuhtli, Teotihuacan Spider Woman, Xochiquetzal, Ōmeteōtl, Tezcatlipōca, Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, Ometecuhtli, Omecihuatl, Xolotl, Chimalman, Quetzalpetlatl, Xipe-Totec, Mixcoatl, Ix Chel, Coatlicue, Coyolxauhqui, Centzon Huitznahua, Centzonmīmixcōa, Iztac-Mixcoatl, Apanecatl, Zolton, Cuilton, Xelhua, Tenoch, Cuetlachoapan, Xicalancatl, Mixtecatl, Otomitl, Cihuateteo, Great Goddess, Spider Grandmother, Huitzilopochtli
- aspect of
- Coatlicue
- allied with
- Quetzalcoatl, Tzitzimimeh
- parent of
- Mixcoatl
- consort of
- Tonacatecutli
- has aspect
- Quilaztli
- syncretized with
- La Llorona
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“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.”
#6025 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
“Cihuateteo Cihuacoatl Tzitzimime”
#15044 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Very similar features are found with Aztec earth goddesses, of whom Tlaltecuhtli, Toci, and Cihuacoatl were invoked by the midwives. Being a jaguar goddess, the Classic Ixchel (or 'Chak Chel') could equally be imagined as a fearsome female warrior equipped with shield and spear, not unlike Cihuacoatl”
#18770 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Cihuacoatl (goddess)”
#32957 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
“Quetzalcoatl went to Mictlan, the underworld, and created fifth-world mankind from the bones of the previous races (with the help of Cihuacoatl), using his own blood, from a wound he inflicted on his earlobes, calves, tongue, and penis, to imbue the bones with new life.”
#33143 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001