Product Description:
Bring unique art to your space with this digital downloadable print! Upon purchase, you will receive a high-resolution file via email—no physical print will be shipped. Simply download, then print at home or through your favorite printing service in whatever size fits your needs.
Usage Rights & License:
This digital file is for personal use only. You are welcome to print and display it in your home, office, or as a gift. However, commercial use is strictly prohibited. Commercial use includes, but is not limited to, reproducing the artwork for sale, distributing it in bulk, or otherwise profiting from the illustration. All artwork is protected by copyright law. If any unauthorized commercial use is detected, I will be required to take legal action.
Enjoy your print, and thank you for respecting and supporting my art!
---
Coatlicue: The Serpent-Skirted Earth Mother of Aztec Mythology
Coatlicue (pronounced koh-at-LEE-kweh), whose name translates to “She of the Serpent Skirt,” is a major deity in the Mexica (Aztec) pantheon. Often regarded as the Earth Mother, she is revered for her role as the creator and protector of life, despite also embodying the inescapable forces of decay and death. Perhaps most famously, Coatlicue is the mother of Huitzilopochtli, the powerful sun and war god, as well as Coyolxauhqui, the moon goddess, and the Centzon Huitznahua (the 400 stars).
Key Themes in Coatlicue’s Mythology
-
Life and Death Cycle
- As an earth goddess, Coatlicue represents the continuous cycle of birth, growth, decay, and rebirth. Aztec cosmology places her at the center of this eternal process, underlining how life emerges from the earth and ultimately returns to it.
-
Maternal Power and Fierce Protection
- Though venerated as a nurturing mother, Coatlicue also channels formidable energies. In myth, when her daughter Coyolxauhqui rebelled against her pregnancy with Huitzilopochtli, Coatlicue’s fury ignited a cosmic conflict—underscoring her protective but fearsome nature.
-
Symbolic Imagery
- Sculptures and depictions show Coatlicue wearing a skirt of snakes and a necklace of hands and hearts, emphasizing the intertwined forces of life, sacrifice, and death that govern Aztec religious belief.
Traditional Roots & Modern Interpretation
-
Historical Context
- Primary sources on Coatlicue’s cult and significance stem from Mexica accounts recorded in the Florentine Codex (compiled by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún) and other post-conquest narratives. Her worship was intertwined with large-scale rituals seeking agricultural fertility and cosmic equilibrium.
-
Colonial-Era Suppression
- Following the Spanish conquest, many Aztec idols and temples were destroyed or buried. A famous monumental statue of Coatlicue was unearthed in Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) in the late 18th century—only to be reburied, reflecting colonial unease with her potent imagery.
-
Contemporary Views
- Today, Coatlicue is celebrated in Mexican heritage and by those rediscovering Mesoamerican spirituality. Scholars highlight her complex role as a chthonic force, weaving together creation, destruction, and the sacred continuum of life and death.
Cultural Significance
-
Artistic and Archeological Legacy
- Massive stone carvings of Coatlicue rank among the finest examples of Aztec sculpture. Her iconic form, with serpents and symbolic motifs, continues to influence modern Mexican art, from muralists to contemporary installations.
-
Embodiment of Dualities
- Coatlicue unites seemingly opposite domains: birth and annihilation, nurturing and terror. In Aztec worldview, these contrasts aren’t contradictions but integral parts of one cosmic balance.
-
Revitalization of Indigenous Identity
- As interest in indigenous roots grows, Coatlicue stands as a powerful emblem of Mesoamerican heritage. She features prominently in discussions about feminine divinity, cultural sovereignty, and the richness of pre-Columbian belief systems.
References & Further Reading
- Sahagún, B. de. Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. 16th century; multiple translations and editions.
- Townsend, R. F. The Aztecs. Thames & Hudson, 2009.
- Matos Moctezuma, E. The Great Temple of the Aztecs: Treasures of Tenochtitlan. Thames & Hudson, 1988.
- Miller, M. & Taube, K. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. Thames & Hudson, 1997.
Keywords: Coatlicue, Aztec Mythology, Mexica Pantheon, Earth Mother, Serpent Skirt, Huitzilopochtli, Coyolxauhqui, Florentine Codex, Tenochtitlan, Duality of Life and Death