Mesoamerican
Goddesses
BY VERONICA IGLESIAS AND ANNE KEY
About Veronica
Maria Veronica Iglesias was born in Mexico City, Mexico. She has a
Bachelor´s degree in Library Sciences and a Master´s Degree in
Mesoamerican Studies from the National Autonomous University of
Mexico (La Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico). She grew up in a
family that always honors the Earth, the plants and all the living beings.
She was initiated as a sahumandora (bearer of the Sacred Sahumerio)
when she was 8 years old. She studied about medicinal plants, crystal
therapy and healing with gems. She also was initiated in the sacred
knowledge of Mesoamerican shamanism and she became a Portadora de
la Palabra, bearer of the Sacred Word. She is also a Priestess of Ix´Cheel,
the Mayan Goddess of Medicine. She is currently researching gem stones
and their therapeutic use, Pre-Hispanic medicine, Feminine Shamanism
in Mesoamerica, Feminine rites of passage and Goddesses from
Mesoamerica.
About Anne
Priestess, instructor, writer and dancer – Anne Key was Priestess of the
Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet, located in
Nevada, from 2004-2007. In Desert Priestess: a memoir she details her
time at the temple and the life of a 21st century priestess. Her many
years of travel and research in Mexico culminated with her
dissertation: Death and the Divine: The Cihuateteo, Goddesses in the
Mesoamerican Cosmovision. She has authored numerous articles and
presentations on Mesoamerican priestesses and Goddesses.
Anne is currently an adjunct faculty in Women’s Studies, English and
Religious Studies. Co-founder of the independent press Goddess Ink, Dr.
Key is the co-editor of Stepping Into Ourselves: An Anthology of Writings
on Priestesses. Her second memoir,Burlesque, Yoga, Sex and Love was
released Fall 2015. Anne resides in Albuquerque with her husband, his
two cats and her snake.
Mesoamerica
Cultures unified by use of 260 day ritual calendar and a
365 solar year calendar
Vigesimal (base 20) number system
Agriculture based on maize
Stepped pyramids
Some deities overlap; some do not
Practice of the ballgame
Distinctive political areas
Time Periods
Paleo-Indian: 10,000 to 3500 BCE
Archaic: 3500-2000 BCE
Formative (pre-Classic): 200 BCE – 200 CE
Classic: 200 CE – 1000 CE
Post-Classic: 1000 CE – 1697 CE
(the end date of 1697 marks the conquest of the last independent Maya city-state, Tayasal)
Central Mexican Plateau (Altiplano)
Inhabited since 10,000 BCE
Teotihuacan: 100 BCE – 550 CE
Toltec Culture: 900-1168 CE
Aztec Culture: 1345 – 1521 CE
Most well-documented of Mesoamerican cultures due
to archaeology, codices, and detailed accounts by
Spanish clergy and military
The capital was Tenochtitlan, on the western shore of
Lake Texcoco with 200,000 inhabitants
Elevation of Mexico City: 7500+ feet
Gran Diosa de
Teotihuacan
Her Symbols
Once considered a male deity
Also called Teotihuacan Spider Woman
Found in murals on the walls of Teotihuacan, in what was probably
housing
Only found at Teotihuacan
Bird headdress
Nose pendant
Fangs
Often with vegetation growing from Her head
Associated with the fertile darkness of the underworld
the Teotihuacan aim seems to have been the creation of paradise on
earth
Gems to work with La Gran
Diosa de Teotihuacan
La Gran Diosa de
Teotihuacan
green jade, stone of magic, dysfuntional
relationships, mother, purification, assists both
the cellular and skeletal structures to re-bind
themselves. Removal of pain in the kidneys.
Emerald, harmony, hearth chakra, connection
with the mother, helps to eliminate negativity
and to bring positive actions
When She Appears…
When La Gran Diosa de Teotihuacan
comes to you, she brings the ability to
understand the past and present, all
existence. She is associated with the
underworld and darkness, which is the
fertile ground for all growth.
As befits a goddess associated with
darkness, the jaguar, owl and spider
are her animals. She is the harbinger
of new beginnings.
Chalchiuhtlicue
Chalchiuhtlicue, she of the jade skirt
Chalchiuhtlicue is the goddess of terrestrial waters, living waters, those water
that are flowing, also known like the maintenance lady. She is the great
nurturing mother, and their characteristics are related with fertility, source of
life par excellence. She represents purity factor, involved in ritual ceremonies
to wash the body with water, because the ablutions purify, regenerate and
allow rebirth. What is ritually immersed in them "dies" and back out of the
waters, like a child without history with the chance to start a new life in a ritual
of death and birth process
She was always present in the rituals of the midwife to wash the newborn in
her/his baptism, the baby was offered to her, having his destiny in her hands.
She was present also in the magical utterances her name was invoked when
water was used to cure some diseases, .
Her Symbols
She wears a nose plug called a xiuhyacamitl
that possibly represents a double headed
serpent
She is associated with fresh water rivers and
lakes
She is often shown with babies near Her
The “curls” indicate she is speaking
She sits on a seat reserved for important
personages
Warrior images: shield, arrows
Chalchiuhtlicue
green jade, stone of magic,
dysfuntional relationships,
mother, purification, assists both
the cellular and skeletal
structures to re-bind themselves.
Removal of pain. Kidney- fears.
Emerald, harmony, hearth chakra,
conection with the mother, helps
to eliminate negativity and to
bring positive actions
When She Appears
Chalchiuhtlicue awaits and welcomes you as you begin
anew. When She appears, you will know that this is an
excellent time for rituals of purification. Chalchiuhtlicue will
help you purify difficult situations that you must confront.
She invites you to use the element of water for purification.
For instance, prepare a bath with herbs and let the water
take away all that is difficult; moreover, the water will help
you connect with yourself. When you allow yourself to feel,
you will be able to touch deep within your heart where you
carry your emotions.
Chalchiuhtlicue protects your heart and offers security.
Imagine Her hands full of sacred water, washing away the
pain in your heart. Her healing waters will soothe and
restore you.
Malinalxochitl
Her myth
Malinalxochitl was a powerful witch who was one of the leaders of the migration to Aztlan. She
possibly represented the maternal lineage of a capulli. Her myth possibly reflects the fight
against the power of the matrilineal lineage, and a conflict between the spiritual leaders of the
nomads and the military leaders of the agricultural society. According to the chroniclers,
Malinalxochitl was a nahualli, a designated class of witches, or wise women, known for their
ability to transform into animal form, such as a jaguar, serpent, owl or bat or any other animal.
“Good” nahuallis were known as wise. They were considered trusted advisors, repositories of
wisdom.
Malinalxochitl is often referred to as the sister of Huitzilopochtli; however, she might have been a
leader from a separate capulli. During the 200 year migration to Aztlan, she wanted to settle in
Malinalco. Huitzilopochtili wanted to keep moving on. She was insistent on staying. He
abandoned her while she was sleeping. She stayed in Malinalco which became a very important
spiritual site.
Gems to work with Malinalxochitl
Malinalxochitl
Black Obsidian, grounding stone, provides a connection
from the base of the spine to the hearth of the Earth.
Protection, shield against negativity, transforming
negative vibrations. Transmutation
Hematite: This stone assists in the focusing of energy
and emotions for balance between body, mind and
spirit. It transforms the negativity in the purity of the
universal light of love. This stone helps to ground and
connect, bringing tranquility and emotion clarity.
When She Appears
Malinalxochitl is the woman who leads; She is
the one who confronts the patriarchy. She is
the priestess--and the witch-- who represents
the magic and strength in the spirit of the
Goddess. She is the heart of the people,
leading ceremony and connecting with the
energy of the land.
When Malinalxochitl appears, she reminds you
that you are a priestess, that you are a leader,
and that your work is important.
Coyolxauhqui
Her Myth…
During the migration to Aztlan, the Aztec/Mexica settled briefly at Coatepec. One day the
primordial mother Coatlicue ("the one with the snake skirt") was sweeping the temple,
She found a bundle of precious feathers which She put away under her skirt. Without her
knowing, these feathers made Her pregnant.
This mysterious pregnancy embarrassed her children, the Centzon Huitznahua (the
Southern Stars, 400 brothers), and her daughter Coyolxauhqui. They decided to kill Her.
But when They arrived at the Coatepec, Coatlicue had already given birth to
Huitzilopochtli in full war armor. Huitzilopochtli decapitated Coyolxauhqui, throwing her
body down the hill, smashing it into pieces. He killed the 400 brothers, who became the
stars, and Coyolxauhqui became the moon.
Readings of the myth: Huitzilopochtli as the sun overcoming the stars and moon, or
Huitzilopochtli as the patriarchy, destroying a matrifocal culture.
Her Symbols
The name Coyolxauhqui means "painted with bells” or “golden bells.” She
is often represented with bells on Her cheeks.
The stone is over 10’ in diameter, discovered in 1978. She is shown wearing
full battle armor, dressed as a warrior and/or a ball player, with “monsters”
on her elbows and knees
Balls of eagle-down are in her hair and the Mexica “year sign” hands from
her ears – She is the vanquished Eagle Warrior
Breasts and “wrinkled” belly show her as a mother
Like her mother Coatlicue, she has a skull tied to her back
She is associated with the moon (dismemberment) and the Milky Way
Her image was placed at the base of the temple to show Her humiliation
and to transform the temple into Coatepec.
Gems to work with Coyolxauhqui
Coyolxauqui
Pedernal/ Flint: This stone can help to relieve
shyness and to promote both intimate and
personal experiences; it also assists in emotional
ties to problems and distressful situations.
Flint will help you confront situations where there
are contrary forces in opposition, bringing strength
(intellectual, psychological, rational and physical)
during confrontations, arguments and disputes.
Silver: This metal can be used to improve your
quality of speech. Related with the moon. It helps
to cleanse the body via the pores, to eliminate
toxins at the cellular level
When She Appears…
Coyolxauhqui appears in your life when you feel
broken into pieces, and the patriarchal system has
pushed you to your limits. You feel unable to
continue for fear of being attacked by society.
She represents that moment when you feel that the
care of the mother has disappeared, leaving you
orphaned, feeling the depths of loneliness, isolation,
sadness, disappointment and fear.
Cihuateotl
Her Myth
The Cihuateteo (literally “women goddesses”)appear in the
pantheon of Mesoamerican cosmology as mortal women
who died in childbirth and were then deified. In regular
cycles, the Cihuateteo traversed the heavens, the
underworld, and the earthly plane. Daily they dwelt with the
stars in the western sky in the heavenly region
called Cihuatlampa (“place of women”) and accompanied the
sun from noon to sunset, then through the night as it lit the
underworld. Every 52 days in the ritual calendar,
the Cihuateteo descended to earth to reign for a day
associated with the west. It is the very regularity of
the Cihuateteo’s presence that places them habitually in the
lives of the Mesoamericans.
About the Cihuateotl
In central Mexico, Goddesses were worshipped at cihuateocalli (“goddess
houses”) of different sizes and locations. The Cihuateteo were honored in
neighborhood cihuateocallibuilt at the crossroads. During the days of the
Goddesses’ descent, their images in the shrines were festooned with paper
(amatetéuitl) pegged to the statues with bits of rubber or copal. They were
given offerings of tamales and toasted corn, as well as bread shaped as
butterflies and lightning rays.
Her Symbols
• The Cihuateteo statues from the state of Veracruz were modeled after the deceased bodies
of individual women who died in childbirth.
• Fantastic headdresses represent the sky dragon and the earth monster
• Bicephalic pit-vipers wrapped around their waists represent internal female organs and
attributes of deities associated with death.
• The vipers are tied in a knot similar to the glyph ollin, which means “movement”.
• The Central Mexican Cihuateteo do not have individual characteristics; there is little variance
among them.
• These statues are kneeling and have descarnated faces and clawed feet, contrasted with
their long, luxurious hair.
• On the top of some of their heads, a day glyph of one of the days of the Cihuateteo’s
descent is designed into the hair.
• Their belts or snakes are tied in the similar ollin glyph style knot.
• Their breasts are bared, visible above their knotted belts and skirts.
When She Appears
The Cihuateotl is the woman who has died in childbirth
and then becomes a goddess.
She appears when you are at the point that you have lost
everything -- your work, your identity, your inner child,
your projects, everything in your womb.
Gems to work with Cihuateotl
Cihuateotl
Opal: Opal acts as a prism within the aura, bringing a full
spectrum of Light energy to the system, soothing and clearing
the emotional body, and boosting the will to live and the joy of
one’s earthly existence. It enkindles optimism, enthusiasm and
creativity, and allows for the release of inhibitions inspiring love
and passion. Opal enhances cosmic consciousness and
stimulates flashes of intuition and insight, yet is a protective
stone for deep inner work, meditations, and lower world
shamanic journeys.
Mayahuel
Mayahuel
She is the goddess of maguey, a kind of agave. She represents the lush fertility and opulence
related with the fullness of life that emphasizes and amplifies the life of humankind and the
agricultural cycle. She is the Energy of the Maguey, one that brings out the sweet honey to it.
She is the archetypal mother who had 400 breasts ( countless ) that symbolize their nutritive
power, whom the gods transformed into maguey because of their fertility. So she represents the
great mother, who nurtures and is fertile.
The force of the goddess is in the maguey. There is a clear association between women and
pulque. Mayahuel was the inventor of the process to make the pulque, an alcoholic beverage
from the agave. This was a sacred liquid used in rituals to honor the gods and the earth. Only
the elderly and rulers could consume it.
Mayahuel is related to the moon, rhythms and cycles .
Her Symbols
Associated with the maguey plant, which provides:
 Pulque, ceremonial alcoholic beverage, made from agua
miel, the milky sap
 Thorns for ritual bloodletting
 Fibers for clothing and rope
 Thorns also acted as needles
She sits on a turtle.
She is depicted as a young woman, emerging from the
maguey plant
She has many breasts to feed her many children, the
Centzon Totochin (the 400 Rabbits), who were thought
to cause drunkenness.
Gems to connect with Mayahuel
Mayahuel
White Labradorite: This stone bring faith in the universal harmony,
facilitating transformation. It helps us to be in the present time,
sustaining and maintaining, providing for the understanding of the
destiny we have chosen.
Aquamarine: This is the stone of courage. It provides a shielding
property for the aura, balance, order, emotional and intellectual
stability. It bring compassion.
White Jade: This beautiful stone brings confidence, self-reliance, selfsufficiency, and the release of suppressed emotions and dreams.
Moonstone: This beautiful stone helps change structures: physical,
emotional, mental and spiritual. It brings new beginnings and
confidence. Moonstone absorb that which is needed from the
universal energies and recognizes its cycles.
When She Appears…
Mayahuel is the protector of mature wombs that turn into life. She comes to our lives because
she is inviting us to take a break from our drama and go to the basics things that we need to do
in order to survive. This means sleep, food, water, movement, and elimination. She invites us to
connect with the opulence and fullness of our life. We work with her when we decide to say
YES to LIFE, and this can be so simple like catching our breath again, from the situation(s) that
broke us, remember when we were Coyolxauhqui.
Imagine that you are drowning, that something took you to the bottom of a body of water, (here
you can visualize your breakthrough) and suddenly you decide that you want to live, and for
that you need to breath so with all the forces that you can use, you DECIDE to start going up and
take air, that is the energy from Mayahuel.
When you decide that you want to continue she is there to nurture you.
Tlazolteotl
Tlazolteotl
Her name is derived from the Nahuatl word for garbage, tlazolli, literally “old, dirty, deteriorated, worn-out thing …
which was used to connote filfth, garbage, or refuse, all of which subsumed human waste products” (Klein
21).Tlazolli could also refer to profligate behavior, related to the root for quail (zolli), a bird associated with fertility
and the earth “owing to its tendency to keep close to the ground and to its prolific breeding habits.” Indeed
Tlazolteotl both provoked and pardoned licentiousness, explaining Her moniker “The Eater of Filth.”
The second part of Her name, teotl, signifies a deity, and in this generic form could refer to male or female.
However, Tlazolteotl is almost always considered female. The early Spanish clerics compared Her to the Roman
Venus because of Her connections to sexuality. Tlazoltetol not only encompasses illicit love, overindulgence, and
dissolute behavior but also is the pardoner for those who engage in Her excesses.
As a goddess of tlazolli, Tlazolteotl was a goddess of purification and curing. The individuals would perform
confession and bloodletting in front of her image. As an indication of her cleansing role, she is commonly depicted
with a grass broom. She embodies the archetype of the warrior. She invented the Temazcal (sweat bath) and was
responsible for earthquakes. She also represents the cycles, the moon, related with the menstruation, the snake.
Her Symbols
Unspun cotton in her hat
Black on her face – rubber, filfth
Midwife
Moon symbols
Flayed Skin
Often shown in a squatting birth-giving posture
Gems to work with Tlazolteotl
Tlazolteotl
red obsidian, stimulates physical energy and
provides for a balancing of the male/female
energies, it helps to be grounded, vitality,
red jasper, its energy communicates that all
choice is ones responsibility, helps to learn
to progress and to eliminate the aspects of
digression
When She Appears….
When you are ready to confront your fears,
your insecurities, and the difficulties in your
life, and when you are ready to take
responsibility, you can ask Tlazolteotl to take
all your garbage, your filth.
She will take it and transmute all it into a new
energy. She is often pictured giving birth. She
gives the opportunity to be born again, to have
a new beginning.
Xochiquetzal
Xochiquetzal
Xochiquetzal – Her name means “flower-quetzal.” she is
the archetype of the young woman who is moving into
her sexual potency. She is represented as the divine
lover, the emininent Goddess of all that is feminine, a
volumptuous sensuality, sexual desire, and pure
Pleasure. She is also associated with games, dance, song,
happines, flowers – anything beuatiful. She presides
over all artistic activities and is the patrón of painters,
weavers, sculptors and stone workers. Those born under
her sign were excellent weavers and prostitutes.
It is said that she performed the first sexual act. Her hair
formed the first Goddess that conjoined with a God,
birthing Cinteotl, the God of maíz.
Symbols
Flowers
Her top: quechquemitl
Headdress of a quetzal
Feathers of quetzal
Jaguar throne
Gems to work with Xochiquetzal
Xochiquetzal
Rose quartz, it emits a calming energy,
remove negativity and to reinstate the
loving, gentle forces of self-love. It
brings clarity to the emotions after a
crisis. It promotes receptivity to the
beauty of art, music, nature, etc.
Excellent for healing emotional wounds.
Carnelian, its message is that “since one
is love, there is nothing to do but to
offer the love.” Increases physical
energy, personal power, creativity,
compassion Sexual energy.
When She Appears
Xochiquetzal is here to help us remember that life is
beautiful and that we deserve to live with joy,
happiness and pleasure. We deserve to do what we
love to do. She invites us to explore our senses, to
remember that our body is sensual. She gives us
permission to explore with all senses. Our soul is happy
when feel completely in love with our lives.
Take time and remember the last time that you felt joy
and happiness just because you exist in this planet.
When you are happy and doing what you love to do,
you are living in balance and equilibrium. When we
each live in this way, we bring harmony to the whole
universe.
Toci Tonantzin
Toci Tonantzin
Toci means “grandmother” and Tonantzin means “great
mother.” She is the heart of the earth. She is identified with the
ancient wise women, a patron of medicine and protector of the
new mothers and their babies. She is the guardian of the
temazcal, the purifying sweat.
She was honored at Her temple at Tepeyac, now the site of the
Basilica de Guadalupe. Many of her symbols are now
associated with La Virgen de Guadalupe.
Gems for working with Tonantzin
Tonantzin
copal, sacredness, it serves to increase the
awareness of ones individuality while
allowing onte to maintain association with
humanity. Stimulates spirituality,
communications with other realms.
Amber, it is a stone dedicate to connection
of the conscious self to universal
perfection. It helps one in the art of
manifestation to bring that which is desired
to the state of reality. Transmutes the
energy of physical vitality toward the
activation of unconditional love.
When She Appears
The archetype of Tonantzin is connected to the spirit of the
most ancient wise women of the planet. By performing
rituals, you can create a connection with the universal forces
and elements that will bring you wisdom, temper your spirit,
and focus your mind. This will also clean your emotions and
detox your body. Tonantzin is associated with the temazcal, a
cleansing ritual.
When Tonantzin appears, she is here as an advisor to remind
you to keep your feet on the ground and take care of yourself,
as well as those around you. She reminds you to listen to and
trust your inner wisdom.
Gems to work with Toci Tonantzin
White Quartz: This stone brings clarity of purpose.
Toci Tonantzin
Rhodochrosite: This stone respresents pure love, the
unconditional love of the mother and grandmother.
Chantico
Chantico
She is the Goddess of the home and hearth. She was venerated by
jewelry makers and gem carvers. She is attributed with the invention of
jewelry and costmetics for women. She is the Goddess charged with
actuating the feminine side. She assumes the feminine power and is
gracious and dedicated. She also represents the magical arts of women.
Gems to work with Chantico
Chantico
Citrine quartz, personal power, creativity,
intelligent decisiveness, producing
cohesiveness with groups
fire opal, it brings hope in the future and faith
in the self, useful during stressful situations
and provides an added energy to ameliorate
feelings of burn-out.
Cooper, combat lethargy, passivity,
restlessness, excitability and non-acceptance
of oneself. It stimulate initiative, optimism,
diplomacy, and independence.
When She Appears
Chantico is associated with the
hearth and home, the fire that is
the central part of life.
When Chantico comes to you, it is
a reminder of your strengths and
powers as the matriarch: to care
for yourself and for those around
you. You are rooted and nourished
in your home so that you can
reach out to the community.
Tlaltecuhtli
Tlaltecuhtli
In 2006, another giant monolith was found at the Templo Mayor in Mexico City. Like the
Coatlicue monolith found decades earlier, this new discovery also towers at over seven feet tall.
She is Tlaltecuhtli, the Earth Goddess. Images of Tlaltecuhtli are often found carved on the
bottom of Aztec sculptures — where the sculpture comes in contact with the earth. The most
famous of these images is the one on the bottom of the giant Coatlicue from the Templo Mayor
in Mexico City. Representations of Tlaltecuhtli are found at the murals of Teotihuacan, a
ceremonial center near modern-day Mexico City.
Her name literally means “earth-lord” (Tlal =land; cuhtli = lord). While the suffix of her name
connotes male gender, she appears in myth as female and her pictorial representation is
decidedly female, usually in the birth-giving posture. Midwives prayed to Tlaltecuhtli in the cases
of difficult birth. Also she was invoked as the Sun in prayers to another Aztec deity, Tezcatlipoca.
Tlaltecuhtli is the Earth Goddess, part of the Central Mexican pantheon, and her image stretches
into the Mayan territories.
Her Symbols
Gaping maw and protruding tongue
Hands and feet often clawed
Open mouth is the tomb and the womb
Tree of Life often grows from her mouth
The one at the Templo Mayor (to the left) is
12x9 feet
She wears the vestments of a warrior
Like Coyolxauhqui, she has emblems on her
knees and arms. These are skulls.
Gems to work with Tlatecuhtli
Tlaltecuhtli
Diamond or Herkimer Diamond: These stones help
connect the above and below.
When She Appears
Tlaltecuhtli, the Earth Goddess, embodies the duality of
creation and death. She has her mouth open to give and
receive in reciprocal relationship with those who dwell on
earth. The tree of life growing from these jaws of death
completes this picture of the earth as womb and tomb. Her
mouth and the act of eating are analogous to birth and
death.
When Tlaltecuhtli comes to you, you know that you are now
strong enough for a rite of passage, to go deep with the
darkness and return to the light.
A song from the Nahua peoples of San Miguel in Sierra del Puebla
beautifully portrays this relationship of earth and human:
We live HERE on this earth (stamping on the mud floor)
We are all fruits of the earth
The earth sustains us
We grow here, on the earth and lower
And when we die, we wither on the earth
We are ALL FRUITS of the earth (stamping on the mud
floor).
We eat of the earth
Then the earth eats us.
Itzpapalotl
Itzpapálotl



Itzpapalotl is the Obsidian Butterfly. She is the goddess whose power and
strength resides in magic. This goddess is the guide and protector for the wise
woman. She is present in the life of women who are healers, diviners, and
mages.
Of Chichimec origin, she gave them instruction on how to honor the four
cardinal points and how to construct a site for the sacred fire. She was the
first goddess that was sacrificed and immolated, and her ashes became the
first bulto sagrado, sacred bundle. She is associated with fire and heat.
She is the goddess of transformations and transmutations, deriving from the
stages of change of the butterfly.
Her Symbols
Skull face
Nose made of pedernal, or flint used in
sacrifice
Butterfly wings
Claws on hands and feet
Gems for working with Itzpapalotl
Itzpapalotl
Black Obsidian, grounding stone, provides a
connection from the base of the spine to the
hearth of the Earth. Protection, shield against
negativity, transforming negative vibrations.
Transmutation
Golden Obsidian, gazing, divination, shamanic
and healing arts
Rainbow Obsidian, bring light and love,
enjoyment to ones life, stone of pleasure.
black jade, expressiveness, intelligence,
perceptions
When She Appears…
Itzpapalotl is the teacher; she is the one who teaches
us to not fear death and the processes of life-deathresurrection. For through this process, our rebirth
will bring us to a higher level of consciousness and
inner strength. She is the goddess of the mages and
the wise women.
She teaches us to see what is invisible, to hear what
is unsaid, and to see what is overlooked. She is the
goddess of transformation and transmutation. To
become a butterfly, we must pass through all of the
stages of growth. She shows us the path of the
warrior, the woman who lives and dies and recreates
herself.
Cihuacoatl
About Her
Her name literally means “woman- snake, and
she was considered a mother and earth
goddess. She was associated with midwifery.
Interestingly, “Cihuacoatl” was the title borne
by one of the rulers in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec
capital. The Cihuacoatle handled internal affairs
of the city.
Gems to work with Cihuacoatl
Cihuacoatl
green jade, stone of magic, dysfuntional
relationships, mother, purification, assists both
the cellular and skeletal structures to re-bind
themselves. Removal of pain in the kidneys.
When She Appears…
Cihuacoatl is the creatrix. She uses a mortar
and pestle of jade and grinds the bones and
mixes with blood to create humanity. She is
the first woman who gave birth.
When Cihuacoatl appears, she is here to
remind you that you have the power of
Malinalxochitl: to be present, to be a leader, to
be a priestess, to create community. She
reminds you that you care about humanity,
thinking of society as a whole.
Coatlicue
Coatlicue
Coatlicue (skirt of snakes) is another emanation of the Earth Goddess.
She took the place of Itzpapalotl when the Mexica began sedentary
agricultura. She is associated with death and the fertility of the earth.
She is associated with mature corn and medicinal plants. All those
practicing medicine call to her.
In mythology, she gave birth to the moon, the stars, and Huitzilopochtli.
Toci and Cihuacoatl were aspects of her.
Her Symbols
“skirt of serpents” – the snakes are related to
regeneration and fertility
Necklace of hands and hearts – a reminder
that everything we do must come from the
heart
Her head, two snake heads – duality, cycles
The skull on her back reminds us of our
mortality, and to be present.
Claws on her feet – be totally grounded
Tlatecuhtli is underneath her feet
Gems for Working with Coatlicue
Coatlicue
Hematite: This stone assists in the focusing of energy and
emotions for balance between body, mind and spirit.
Transforms the negativity in the purity of the universal
light of love. Good to have a soft meditative state,
providing for smooth grounding and bringing tranquility
and emotion clarity.
Iron: This metal can bring mental and emotional balance,
openness and receptivity to tranquility and abundance.
Invulnerability, diplomacy. Strengthen the reproductive
system
When She Appears…
Coatlicue embodies the whole energies: the dark and light,
all that is opposite and complementary.
When you need to be grounded in the earth, when you
need to connect with your heart and cut attachments, she
invites us to reinvent ourselves, let go of what does not
serve us, and to be (truly) honest. This archetype taps into
the ancient wisdom of understanding the recurring cycles,
helping us understand the lessons so that we can become
our best and highest selves.
“Each time that a woman heals herself, she helps me to
heal the earth that is me.” Everything is sacred.
Así ha sido dicho…
Así ha sido nombrado…
Questions?