Coyolxāuhqui is the goddess of the Moon in the Aztec mythology.
In Aztec religion, Coyolxāuhqui (Nahuatl pronunciation: [kojoɬˈʃaːʍki], "Painted with Bells") is a daughter of the goddess Cōātlīcue ("Serpent Skirt"). She was the leader of her brothers, the Centzonhuītznāhua ("Four Hundred Huītznāhua"). She led her brothers in an attack against their mother, Cōātlīcue, when they learned she was pregnant, convinced she dishonored them all. The attack is thwarted by Coyolxāuhqui's other brother, Huītzilōpōchtli, the national deity of the Mexica.
In 1978, workers at an electric company accidentally discovered a large stone relief depicting Coyolxāuhqui in Mexico City. The discovery of the Coyolxāuhqui stone led to large-scale excavation, directed by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, to unearth the Huēyi Teōcalli (Templo Mayor in Spanish). The prominent position of the Coyolxāuhqui stone suggests the importance of her defeat by the Centzonhuītznāhua in Aztec religion and national identity.
Birth of Huītzilōpōchtli and Coyolxāuhqui's defeat at Coatepec[]
On the summit of Coatepec ("Serpent Mountain") sat a shrine for Coatlicue, the maternal Earth deity. One day, as she swept her shrine, a ball of hummingbird feathers fell from the sky. She "snatched them up; she placed them at her waist." Thus, she became pregnant with the deity Huītzilōpōchtli.
Her miraculous pregnancy embarrassed Coatlicue's other children, including her eldest daughter, Coyolxāuhqui. Hearing of her pregnancy, the Centzonhuītznāhua, led by Coyolxāuhqui, decided to kill Coatlicue. As they prepared for battle and gathered at the base of Coatepec, one of the Centzonhuītznāhua, Quauitlicac, warned Huītzilōpōchtli of the attack while he was in utero. Hearing of the attack, the pregnant Cōātlīcue miraculously gave birth to a fully grown and armed Huītzilōpōchtli who sprang from her womb, wielding "his shield, teueuelli, and his darts and his blue dart thrower, called xinatlatl."
Huītzilōpōchtli killed Coyolxāuhqui, beheading her and throwing her body down the side of Coatepec: "He pierced Coyolxauhqui, and then quickly struck off her head. It stopped there at the edge of Coatepetl. And her body came falling below; it fell breaking to pieces; in various places her arms, her legs, her body each fell." As for his brothers, the Centzonhuītznāhua, he scattered them in all directions from the top of Coatepec. He pursued them relentlessly, and those who escaped went south.
Some authors have written that Huītzilōpōchtli tossed Coyolxāuhqui's head into the sky, where it became the Moon, so that his mother would be comforted in seeing her daughter in the sky every night, and that her scattered brothers became the Southern Star deities. It is difficult to verify these variations of the narrative with 16th century sources.
Imagery in Poses[]
The Templo Mayor stone disk served as a cautionary sign to foes of Tenochtitlán. This is exemplified by the dismemberment of her body and its restraints.
The display of Coyolxāuhqui's severed head served this same purpose differently, as it was different than the typical full-body sculptures and art created by the Mexica.
Identifying Elements[]
Gold ornaments adorn the face of Coyolxāuhqui in the form of earrings and bell pendants. The ear ornaments have trapeze-ray signs symbolic of the tail of Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent. This makes them identifiers as they create a direct tie to Huītzilōpōchtli, who used Xiuhcoatl as his weapon.
Role in sacrifice[]
Scholars also believe that the decapitation and destruction of Coyolxāuhqui are reflected in the pattern of the warrior ritual sacrifice, particularly during the feast of Panquetzaliztli (Banner Raising). The feast takes place in the 15th month of the Aztec calendar and is dedicated to Huītzilōpōchtli. During the ceremony, captives’ hearts were cut out and their bodies were thrown down the temple stairs to the Coyolxāuhqui stone. There, they were decapitated and dismembered, just as Coyolxāuhqui was by Huītzilōpōchtli on Coatepec.
Gallery[]
