Matlalcueitl (Mesoamerican Deity) - Mythology

Mythology

Chalchiuitlicue's name means literally means "Jade her skirt", but is usually translated as "she of the jade shirt". She was also known as Matlalcueye "Owner of the green skirt". This goddess was the wife (in some myths, sister) of the rain god, Tlaloc. Like other water deities, she was often associated with serpents. She was the mother of Tecciztecatl, an Aztec moon god. He was called "he who comes from the land of the sea-slug shell" because of the similarity between the moon and the slug. Tecciztecatl was portrayed as an old man who carries a large white seashell on his back.Most legends of Chalchiuhtlicue say that she was married to the god of rain, Tlaloc. In some myths she was his sister. Chalchiuhtlicue helped Tlaloc rule the kingdom of Tlalocan. It is believed that Tlaloc was one of the first 'abuser' gods and because of this Chalchiuhtlicue retaliated by releasing 52 years of rain, causing a giant flood which caused the fourth world to be destroyed. She built a bridge linking heaven and earth and those who were in Chalchiuhtlicue's good graces were allowed to traverse it. The other residents of the earth were turned into fish so they wouldn't drown. Chalchiuhtlicue used the flood as an act of purification of human kind. Because of this flood we are believed to live in the Fifth World. Chalchiuhtlicue was also mother of Tecciztecatl, the Aztec moon god. In some myths, Chalchiuhtlicue was wife of Xiuhtecuhtli, senior deity of the Aztec pantheon. According to Aztec legend, Chalchiuhtlicue at one point devoured the sun and moon.

In 2008, archaeologists led by Saburo Sugiyama found a tomb containing important evidence that may help define and examine an active period in Teotihuacán history. It may also help define some of the Aztec's defining moments. Teotihuacán was the largest city in Mesoamerica with over 100,000 residents. It is here that the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon were built. The Pyramid of the Sun was built for Tlaloc and, as stated earlier, the Pyramid of the Moon built for Chalchiuhtlicue. The tomb that Saburo Sugiyama found was dedicated to Chalchiuhtlicue. It housed a single human male sacrifice along with a wolf, jaguar, puma, serpent, bird, skeletons, and over 400 other artifacts. Among some of these artifacts were large greenstone and obsidian figurines, ceremonial knives, and spear points. The archaeologists also found frescos of former religions painted in red and green, some referred to agricultural and natural rain cycles. When looking underneath the Pyramid of the Moon, a Chalchiuhtlicue statue was found and has since been moved to El Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City. Also found underneath the pyramid were many tombs containing ornaments of birds and jaguars.