Oct 26, 2018 - Explore Mary Sanders Lazenby's board "Coatlicue", followed by 231 people on Pinterest. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. Standing over ten feet tall, the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Coatlicue, c. 1500, Mexica (Aztec), found on the SE edge of the Plaza mayor/Zocalo in Mexico City, basalt, 257 cm high (National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City) A conversation with Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Steven Zucker Her face is formed by two facing serpents (after her head was cut off and the blood spurt forth from her neck in the form of two gigantic serpents), referring to the myth that she was sacrificed during the beginning of the present creation. It was unearthed less than half a mile south of the site of Tenochtitlan’s Templo Mayor. The basalt statue of Coatlicue is one of several that have been unearthed, but this one contains the most detail. Cartwright, Mark. It was created during the Mexican Revolution. The massive Coatlicue is well known for her skirt made of interwoven serpents. Her children became angry and plotted to kill her, but the ball of feathers—later Huitzilopochtli—comforted Coatlicue from the womb and later was born at the perfect moment in order to kill Coyolxauhqui and her four hundred siblings. The overall symmetry of the work only further supports the dual nature. Which, if any, ... What are some facts associated with Saturnino Herrán's Coatlicue Transformed (central panel of Our Gods)? The gender of the two figures is opposing, but this does not bar the two from working together. The plot came unstuck, though, when one of the Huiztnaua lost heart and decided to warn the still unborn Huitzilopochtli. Cite This Work Aside from her skirt, Coatlicue also wore a necklace of alternating hands and human hearts. statue thing? The gods of the Aztecs (1345-1521 CE) were many and varied and... Coatlicue (pron. She is referred to variously by the epithets "Mother Goddess of the Earth who gives birth to all celestial things", "Goddess of Fire and Fertility", "Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth", and "Mother of the Southern Stars". [4] Elizabeth Hill Boone, "The 'Coatlicues' at the Templo Mayor," Ancient Mesoamerica, 10 (1999): 190. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified November 28, 2013. [6] Eagle feathers symbolized the cosmos, or the sky, in Mexica iconography. The figure is 3.5 m high, 1.5 m broad and depicts the goddess in her most terrible form with a severed head replaced by two coral snakes, representing flowing blood. Coatepec. Because her breasts are exposed, one associates her with motherhood and life-giving qualities. What does this sculpture represent and of what is it constructed?-Coatlicue is an Aztec goddess.The sculpture of Coatlicue represents an old woman who was the mother of the patron god, Huitzilopochtli and symbolized a creator and destroyer of the earth. She wears a necklace of hearts, hands, and a skull—or symbols of life and death. Coatlicue, (Nahuatl: “Serpent Skirt”) Aztec earth goddess, symbol of the earth as both creator and destroyer, mother of the gods and mortals. Interestingly enough, she can still be read as human. COATLICUE. Her head is made up of the joined heads of two snakes, and the skirt that she wears is made of snakes woven together. She gave birth to the god of the sun – Huitzilopochtli, and re-birthed her favorite daughter goddess Coyolxauhqui as the moon. The figure is 3.5 m high, 1.5 m broad and depicts the goddess in her most terrible form with a severed head replaced by two coral snakes, representing flowing blood. Statue depicted of Coatlicue An Aztec sculptor created her out of an igneous rock … Though the Aztcs had many gods and goddesses, Coatlicue was considered an important deity. Her feet and hands are adorned with claws and her breasts are depicted as hanging flaccid from pregnancy. Temple Mayor, Tenochtitlanby Wolfgang Sauber (CC BY-SA). Made around 1500, a few decades before the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs, the Coatlicue statue occupied a special place in the civic-ceremonial center of Tenochtitlan, the empire’s capital. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the Publishing Director at AHE. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. In fact, one of the most famous Aztec sculptures depicted her wearing a skirt made of rattlesnakes. "Coatlicue." She was commonly portrayed with a face of serpents in place of a human head, and her hands were likewise replaced with snakes. The Tlaltecuhtli relief demonstrates the importance of the monument as a devotional, sacred item. Coatlicue gave birth to the sun and moon – giving light to the earth night and day. The deity is depicted as a standing figure with her arms bent at the elbows and her hands near her shoulders. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Furthering the theme of serpents, her head is composed of two snake heads facing each other to resemble a single, forward-facing face. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Coyolxauhqui, whose name signifies 'Painted with Bells', was considered either the sister or mother of Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war and patron of Tenochtitlan. Coatlicue is represented as a woman wearing a skirt of writhing snakes and a necklace made of human hearts, hands, and skulls. Discover Coatlicue Statue in Mexico City, Mexico: Come face to face with the ferocious visage of the serpent-headed mother goddess of the Aztecs. Coatlicue, whose name means "Serpent Skirt," was the Earth goddess of life and death in the Aztec mythology. The religion of the Aztec civilization which flourished in ancient... Huitzilopochtli (pron. One day, as she was sweeping, a ball of feathers descended from the heavens and when she tucked it into her belt it miraculously impregnated her. Because she features serpent qualities, one relates her to fertility, as serpents are largely understood to be symbols of fertility in Mexica works. “Coatlicue” Goddess Of The Earth was intrinsically electro-acoustic in nature. Her two snake heads facing each other, represent … [7] León-Portilla and Shorris, "Sacred Narrative," 205. No one at the time would have been able to view the relief, it was carved purely for the purpose of direct contact with the gods. The myth may also symbolise the daily victory of the Sun (one of Huitzilpochtli's associations) over the Moon and stars. She also wears an apron made of a skull, leather, shells, and eagle feathers on her back. ... refering to the darkness in the center of the earth, and it was on the hill of Coatepec. Cartwright, M. (2013, November 28). This was perhaps because Coatlicue played such an important role in Aztec cosmology, especially with respect to the story of creation. Interestingly, the base of the statue is carved with an earth monster, even though it would never be seen. However, overburdened with gifts, these hapless magicians got bogged down in a sand hill and the goddess revealed that the Aztec cities would fall one by one. It is important, though, to remember the original purpose of the sculpture as seen in large part through the Tlaltecuhtli relief. His special interests include pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share in common. Coatlicue was the mother of “four hundred gods of the south and their sister Coyolxauhqui.”[2] One day Coatlicue was sweeping and a ball of feathers came down to impregnate her. She stands at eight feet, six inches, and is located in the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City. The title of this sculpture is The Goddess Coatlicue. She wears a necklace of severed human hands and hearts with a large skull pendant. Coatlicue (/kwɑːtˈliːkweɪ/) “skirt of snakes” “mother of the gods”, is the Mexica-Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars, and Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war. Statue of Coatlicue displayed in National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico City Coatlicue , also known as Teteoinan (also transcribed Teteo Inan ), "The Mother of Gods" ( Classical Nahuatl : Cōhuātlīcue [koːwaːˈtɬiːkʷe] , Tēteô īnnān ), is the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars, and Huitzilopochtli , the god of the sun and war. This work is dynamic. Scholars generally accept this monument as representing the deity Coatlicue, or “Snakes Her Skirt.” The monument stands eight feet and nine inches tall, four feet and three inches wide, and four feet and three inches deep. This is the currently selected item. Ancient History Encyclopedia. [4] The combination of human and non-human body parts presents an interesting depiction of how the Mexica conceptualized being a mother and giving life. Books Coatlicue had a horrible appearance. A beautiful,new handmade Coatlicue the Mexica version, aztec earth goddess and mother of gods, she of the serpent skirt. Cartwright, Mark. A famous statue in Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology represents the idea of Coatlicue as creator and destroyer. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. This may reference the connection between Coatlicue and the star demons known as the tzitzimime, who the Aztecs believed would devour the human population if the sun should ever fail to rise. https://www.ancient.eu/Coatlicue/. Coatlicue had 400 children (gods and goddess of stars). She also wears her typical skirt of entwined snakes whilst her hands and feet have the large claws which she uses to rip up human corpses before she eats them. Templo Mayor at Tenochtitlan, the Coyolxauhqui Stone, and an Olmec Mask . Coatlicue. In art Coatlicue is most famously represented in the colossal basalt statue found at Tenochtitlan which now resides in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Coatepec with the intention of killing their dishonoured mother. The giant pyramid was covered in snake sculpture and even the shadows cast by its steps were designed to reference Mt. (Nahuatl: “Snake Skirt”) Who is the Goddess Coatlicue ? [7] Many aspects—such as the inclusion of both land and sky iconography—seem to be contradictory or dualistic. [8] Again, a pairing of two is made between a male earth lord and a female earth mother. The feet and hands of the goddess are claws. Email. This battle would be commemorated with the setting up of the Templo Mayor at the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The goddess famously warned the Mexica of their future demise. The colossal sculpture of the Aztec mother goddess Coatlicue (3.4.16) is made of _____. Coatlicue. Web. In Aztec mythology Coatlicue was actually a priestess whose job was to maintain the shrine on the top of the legendary sacred mountain Coatepec ('Snake Mountain', also spelt Coatepetl). Aztec goddess of the earth, symbol of the earth as creator and destroyer, mother of gods and mortals. Each of its components was meant to work in dialogue with one another. Coatlicue. Represented as an old woman, she symbolised the antiquity of earth worship and she presents one of the most fearsome figures in Aztec art. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. 2. The head of the goddess looks like two snakes looking right at each other. Is the primary motive of this monument to bring about thoughts of life or death? . Co-at-li-cu-e) or 'Serpent Skirt' was a major deity in the Aztec pantheon and regarded as the earth-mother goddess. A further link to the myth was the large stone placed at the base of the pyramid which has a relief carving of the dismembered Coyolxauhqui. However, Coatlicue's other offspring, her daughter Coyolxauhqui ('Painted with Bells' and perhaps representing the Moon), herself a powerful goddess, and her sons the Centzon Huitznahua ('Four Hundred Huiztnaua', who represented the stars of the southern sky) were outraged at this shameful episode and they stormed Mt. [1] It is currently housed in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, along with other monuments that depict similarities in iconography. Does Coatlicue’s realm of influence consist of the land, sky, or both? The statue was discovered in 1790 CE but was thought so terrifying that it was immediately reburied. In 1790, renovators found this massive monument buried under the Zócalo, the major plaza of Mexico City. Coatlicue was traditionally portrayed wearing a skirt of writhing snakes. Because she features serpent qualities, one relates her to fertility, as serpents are largely understood to be symbols of fertility in Mexica works. They were also meant to work in dialogue with other works. [2] Miguel León-Portilla and Earl Shorris, "Sacred Narrative: The Founding of Tonochtitlan and the Birth of Huitzilopotchli," in In the Language of Kings: Mesoamerican Literature—Pre-Columbian to the Present. [5] Richard Townsend, The Aztecs (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2009), 114. Connections to the earth and motherhood can clearly be seen through a reading of the monument’s iconography. There appears to be feathers or fur of some kind going up the legs of the statuette. The skirt on the statue is made up of snakes that are overlapping. Here was the statue of the goddess made of stone. As the Coatlicue exists today in a museum, it loses its devotional value. See more ideas about aztec, aztec art, aztec culture. ... Manuscripts in the Middle Ages were produced in factories in which hundreds of duplicate pages were made quickly using a printing press. She also had sharp claws in her hands and feet. In the first version of this mythical duel, Coyolxauhqui upset her son Huitzilopochtli when she insisted on staying at the legendary sacred mountain Coatepec ('Snake Mountain', also spelt Coatepetl) and not following Huitzilopochtli’s plan to re-settle at a new site – the eventual Tenochtitlan. Her skirt is made from entwined snakes, giving rise to her sobriquet, “Serpent Skirt.” The goddess was worshipped in the spring ritual of Tozozontli in the rainy season and in the autumnal hunting festival of Quecholli, when an impersonator of the goddess was sacrificed. The massive Coatlicue is well known for her skirt made of interwoven serpents. Google Classroom Facebook Twitter. "Coatlicue." One important aspect of the figure is the relief under it, which displays the male earth lord, Tlaltecuhtli. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. In another myth involving the goddess she warned the Mexica of their future demise. The Aztec ruler Motecuhzoma II had sent a party of 60 magicians to visit Coatlicue in the mythical ancestral home of the Mexica, Aztlan, in a quest for supreme knowledge. Co-at-li-cu-e) or ‘Snake Skirt’ was an important deity in the Aztec pantheon and was considered the goddess of mother earth. This use of Aztec iconography suggested that Coatlicue had been dismembered, with the twin head snakes possibly repre… She stands on two legs like a human, has two arms, and even features exposed breasts which sag to symbolize many years of being a mother. She is wearing a necklace made of alternating human hands and hearts with her breasts exposed. In another version the god springs from his mother's severed neck but either way, with his formidable weapon, the xiuhcoatl ('Fire Serpent') which was actually a ray of the sun, the warrior-god swiftly butchered his unruly siblings and chopping up Coyolxauhqui into several large chunks he lobbed the pieces down the mountainside. [1] "Coatlicue," Museo Nacional de Antropología, accessed April 24, 2014. After the statue’s rediscovery in 1790, Native peoples in the area began worshipping her anew, in stark contrast to Europeans and Criollos who found the statue … Coatlicue (pron. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Coatlicue/. Snakes are symbols of both death and fertility in many [3] Coatlicue’s role as the mother of the gods and Huitzilopotchli leads to her depiction as an aged earth mother figure. However, the Aztec mother goddess, Coatlicue, looks very different from the images you might be used to seeing. License. The skirt is topped with a belt made of similar intertwined serpents. Written by Mark Cartwright, published on 28 November 2013 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. At her back her hair hangs down in 13 tresses symbolic of the 13 months and 13 heavens of Aztec religion. COATLICUE ("serpent skirt") was one of an array of Aztec earth-mother goddesses, the Teteoinnan, who represented the notion of maternal fertility associated with the earth. Coatlicue: 1. It is an eight feet tall Basalt statue from c. 1500 created to portray the Aztec goddess of the earth, the goddess of childbirth and warfare and considered the mother of gods. Mark is a history writer based in Italy. The statue is called Coatlicue and was found in Tenochtitlan, the middle of Mexico city. 22 Jan 2021. Coatlicue was a goddess thirsty of human sacrifices. Then, and only then, would her son Huitzilopochtli return to her side. In art Coatlicue is most famously represented in the colossal basalt statue found at Tenochtitlan which now resides in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. [3] León-Portilla and Shorris, "Sacred Narrative," 206-207. Great desk decor. Related Content The god of war got his own way by decapitating and eat… This deity was often carved into the bottom of monuments in order for him to be in as close contact as possible with the earth below him. The Coatlicue sculpture in Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology is one of the most famous Mexica (Aztec) sculptures in existence (her name is pronounced “koh-at-lee-kway”). ... portable homes made of wooden poles and bark or hides: great plains. Bernardino de Sahagún describes Coatlicue in his account of the birth of Huitzilopochtli, the deity who led the Mexica people to Tenochtitlan. Her feet are talons with claws and feathers and there are signs that the statue was once brightly painted. The Return to Coatlicue: Goddesses and Warladies in Mexican Folklore, Coatlicue: Disertaciones sobre una escultura mítica, El Regreso A Coatlicue: Diosas Y Guerreras En El Folklore Mexicano, Stressed, Unstressed: Classic Poems to Ease the Mind, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Coatlicue was also the patron of childbirth, was associated with warfare, governance and agriculture, and considered the female aspect of the primordial god Ometeotl. The feathers also point to the ancient narrative of Huitzilopotchli’s founding of Tenochtitlan—as the city was marked by an eagle perched on a cactus. She is the the Great Mother, in whom both the womb and the grave co-exist. The most iconic representation of Coatlicue is the colossal basalt statue in Mexico City’s Museo Nacional de Antropología. Coatlicue is depicted with a skirt made of rattlesnakes and a belt fastened by human skulls. A statue of Coatlicue, also known as the Coatlicue Stone, was created between 1300 and 1500 in Tenochtitlan, Mexico. Unearthing the Aztec past, the destruction of the Templo Mayor. The resulting child was none other than the powerful Aztec god of war Huitzilopochtli. Made of white cement, sand marble glass black eyes and mounted on black wooden base. Rising to his mother's defence the god sprang from the womb fully-grown and fully-armed as an invincible warrior. The general conceptualization of a life-giving earth mother as a decapitated figure is rather contradictory. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. Serpents represent both fertility and the earth in Aztec iconography. Polykleitos's statue Doryphoros, or Spear Bearer, demonstrates a new naturalistic stance called contrapposto. (New York:Norton, 2001), 205. Coatlicue is wearing a necklace of severed human hands and hearts, with a large skull pendant. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 28 Nov 2013. This idea of two concepts being compared can be seen primarily through the two serprents that form the godess’ head, which face each other as if literally “butting heads.” The juxtaposition between both serpent and eagle motifs create a contradiction between land, or the earth, and the sky, or the cosmos. Stone. Coatlicue (pron. [5] In general there is a connection between fertility and the earth as the Mexica economy and society was largely agriculturally based. Aztec (Mexica) Introduction to the Aztecs (Mexica) More on the Aztecs (Mexica) Coatlicue. The figure features eagle claws for feet, serpents displaying their fangs for hands, and two serpents which curl over her shoulders and meet face to face to form a head. Discuss the details of the imagery that makes up the sculpture and what they represent. She was depicted as a woman wearing a skirt of snakes and a necklace of hearts torn from victims. Because she stands as a human, one understands her to be a woman. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. The word "Coatlicue" is Nahuatl for "the one with the skirt of serpents". Serpents represent both fertility and the earth in Aztec iconography. She wears wrist bands of streamers and leg bands of eagle feathers and bells. ( 2013, November 28, 2013. https: //www.ancient.eu/Coatlicue/ is topped with a large skull.... Standing over ten feet tall, the Aztecs ( New York: Norton, )! Civilization which flourished in Ancient... Huitzilopochtli ( pron especially with respect to the of... God of the monument ’ s Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City ’ Templo. Panel of Our gods ) hanging flaccid from pregnancy hearts torn from.. 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Shorris, `` Sacred Narrative, '' was the earth and motherhood can clearly be through.