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Chicomecoatl
Chicomecoatl. Goddess of foodstuffs, sustenance,
and thus she was the most important patron of vegetation, presiding over
the maize cult. The name of Chicomecoatl is translated as "Seven-Serpent".
Her cult is very ancient. The ceremonies dedicated to this goddess were
celebrated in the month Huei Tozoztli, which means "prolonged fast,"
during which altars in homes were decorated with maize plants and in temples
its seeds were blessed. This effigy vessel, influenced by "Codex"
type ceramics from Cholula, Puebla, shows two gods intimately related to
fertility: Chicomecoatl, the goddess of sustenance and the god of rain
Tlaloc, one on each side, and the latter also painted on the lid. The goddess
Chicomecoatl, shown with face and feet projecting from the vessel, wears
a feather headdress, tied by a frontal plaque with the fantastic representation
of a bird, and from which the characteristic tassels painted red and white
and flanking her face are suspended. She holds ears of corn in both hands.
On the opposite side is an image of Tlaloc, with his characteristic traits.
The vessel contained more than three thousand green stone beads, figurines
and on top, a Mezcala style mask. It measures 34 cm in height and comes
from the Mixteca-Puebla zone.
Last Modified: January 14, 1998.
Museo del Templo Mayor, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e História,
México.
Seminario #8, Centro Histórico. Cuauhtémoc,
México, D.F. 06060
©Copyright
1997
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