However, these relations make more sense when one considers Aztec symbolism. Pregnancy, Erotic Love, and WeavingĪt first glance, the conjunction of pregnancy, erotic love, and weaving seem like a relatively random assortment of concepts. This connection could explain Xochiquetzal’s involvement in this odd tale. In some Aztec stories, Xochiquetzal was the wife of the sun, which would spend the night traveling through Mictlan before returning the next day. The gods sent the bat to bite out the vulva of the young goddess Xochiquetzal, from which they grew nasty-smelling flowers to present to Mictlantecuhtli. The first bat was born when Quetzalcoatl’s semen dripped onto a rock while he was washing. One Aztec legend described the risqué origins of bats and how they, along with an unwitting Xochiquetzal, were responsible for Mictlan’s foul odor. Seeing that this problem needed to be remedied, the gods “made of the hairs of Suchiquecar, a woman with whom his first marriage took place.” Flowers for the Land of the Dead When their son Pilcetecli came of age, however, there was no one for him to marry. Susan Milbrath Xochiquetzal and the Creation of the Second Womanĭuring their quest to create the universe, Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, and Huitzilpochtli created the first man and woman. The goddess of the moon moves swiftly across the sky.seemingly visiting different planetary lovers along the way, before returning to stay with her solar husband for several days each month. Like Goddess I, Xochiquetzal was associated with a lunar cult, though there is some ambiguity as to which phase of the moon she represents. The Mayan equivalent to Xochiquetzal was Goddess I, a deity that represented fertility, procreation, erotic love, and weaving. 600-900 CE) may depict the lunar deity known as Goddess I. Her connection to Tamoanchan hinted at her enduring status in Mesoamerican religion Tamoanchan was not a Nahuatl word, but a Mayan one. Xochiquetzal was said to have come from Tamoanchan, the ancestral origin place of the Aztec gods. While it was possible that the Aztecs lacked an origin story for her, it is more likely that it has simply been lost to time and conquest. While many Aztec gods had explicit origin stories, Xochiquetzal did not. Such relations changed depending on the myth being told, however, as she would reflect different aspects of the lunar cycle in each tale. A recurring element in Xochiquetzal’s legends was her relation to the moon. She was an important member of the Aztec pantheon and one of several literal and figurative mothers to the Aztec people. Though Xochiquetzal is one of the oldest Aztec gods, her origin story remains unclear. Tezcatlipoca – one of the four creator deities who served as omnipresent god of the night sky and knower of all thoughts Piltzintecuhtli – god of the rising sun, healing, and hallucinogenic drugs Xochiquetzal played wife to many different Aztec gods. Unlike his sister, Xochipilli represented male prostitutes and homosexuality. Like his sister, Xochipilli has been interpreted as a god of erotic love. Her twin brother Xochipilli was the god of art, beauty, and dance. Nevertheless, she did have several important relations. Xochiquetzal’s familial ties are somewhat mysterious, as her parentage was lost to the historical gaps left by time and conquest. Such features were commonly associated with the goddess. In this piece from the Codex Borgia, Xochiquetzal is adorned with flowers and has a pierced nose. Like many other cultures, the Aztecs drew parallels between flowers and the clitoris or vulva. The link between Xochiquetzal, flowers, and sexuality was not an arbitrary one. In artistic renderings, Xochiquetzal was usually adorned with flowers and shown wearing rich garments. Her peers, like Coatlicue, were usually shown as matrons. Xochiquetzal is unique amongst Aztec goddesses in that she was always portrayed as a young woman. Xochiquetzal was also occasionally referred to as Ichpochtli, meaning “maiden” or “young girl.” Though this term did not originally imply anything beyond age, it took on a virginal connotation following the Spanish conquest. Taken altogether, her name was often interpreted as “Flower Quetzal Feather.” Xochiquetzal’s name was a combination of the Nahuatl words xochitl, meaning “flower,” and quetzalli, meaning either “Quetzal bird,” or the highly desirable tail feathers of that bird.
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