Name and Etymology:
Chalchihuitlicue
Chalchiuhtlicue
Chalciuhtlicue
Acuecucyoticihuati
"She of the Jade Skirt"
Religion and Culture of Chalchihuitlicue:
Aztec, Mesoamerica
Symbols, Iconography, and Art of Chalchihuitlicue:
Chalchihuitlicue is depicted wearing a green skirt and is often sculpted from green stone. Sometimes, a stream of water with babies in it is seen flowing from her skirt — usually a male and a female. She may also be depicted with spinning and weaving implements. Finally, she is also often seen carrying a cross, which for the Aztec was a symbol of fertility and which represented the four winds which brought rain to water the crops.
Chalchihuitlicue is the Goddess of:
Storms
Lakes
Streams
Horizontal Waters
Youthful beauty
Birth
Baptisms
Equivalents in Other Cultures:
Acpaxaco, an Otomi water goddess
Story and Origin of :
unknown — please email me if you have any information to add about this.
Family Tree and Relationships of Chalchihuitlicue:
Sister and wife of Tlaloc, the rain god
Wife of Xiuhtecuhtli
Mother of Tecciztecatl
Temples, Worship and Rituals of Chalchihuitlicue:
Aztecs identified Tlaloc with falling rain, but Chalchihuitlicue with places where rain gathered: pools, floods, etc.
Aztecs sacrificed children to Chalchihuitlicue in order to encourage her to help plants and babies grow.
Aztecs believed that Chalchihuitlicue was the patron goddess of the world which existed prior to this one.
Mythology and Legends of Chalchihuitlicue:
Chalchihuitlicue helps Tlaloc rule the paradise kingdom of Tlalocan.
Chalchihuitlicue created and destroyed the previous world, turning its inhabitants into fish.
Chalchihuitlicue's association with both waters and birth or fertility is due to the Aztec's association of the womb with waters. This dual role gave Chalchihuitlicue both life-giving and a life-ending roles in Aztec mythology.
in Aztec mythology, all rives flow out of the paradise kingdom of Tlalocan and Chalchihuitlicue, who helps rule Tlalocan, controls the rivers.
