Chicomecóatl (in Nahuatl 'seven snake') is the Mexica goddess of sustenance and, therefore, of corn. It is also the patron saint of subsistence, maintenance, vegetation, germination and fertility. Also known by the name of Xilonen ('the hairy one', in reference to the beards of the corn in pods), it is considered one of the oldest and most important deities of the Valley of Mexico.
The Spanish historian and Franciscan missionary, Bernardino de Sahagún, equates her in his writings to the goddess Ceres, who in Roman mythology was the patron saint of agriculture, crops and fertility.
Goddess Chicomecóatl in the Maglabecchiano Codex Source: Author unknown.The Codex Maglabecchiano, 15th century.
It is frequently associated with Ilamatecuhtli ('old lady' in reference to the ripe ear of wrinkled and yellowish leaves), as well as Centeocíhuatl, who was the wife of Tezcatlipoca, god of providence, the invisible and the dark.
By detailing its Nahuatl name, the esoteric character of its two terms is evidenced. The number seven signified seeds and was a sign of good omen, while the serpent was a symbol of fertility.
In its positive aspect, the goddess Chicomecóatl signified the production of good crops, while in its negative meaning it could be a diffuser of hunger and death.
Beliefs and rituals
It is known from the content of the songs that Chicomecóatl lived in the Mexica paradise (Tlalocan), which was ruled by Tláloc, god of lightning, rain and earthquakes. The goddess was absent from the well-known 'nectar of the earth', located in the eastern region of the Universe, solely for the fruiting of corn.
Within the Mexica pantheon, 'seven serpent' was one of the older sisters of the tlaloqueh or rain gods, as they were responsible for distributing the rain on the earth in vessels.
His other two sisters were the goddesses Chalchiuhtlicue and Huixtocíhuatl, with whom he forms a triad that, according to Sahagún: "supported the people so that they could live." Chalchiuhtlicue was patron of the water of the springs and lagoons, while Huixtocíhuatl was of the salt and the fertility of the sea.
Each of these deities enjoyed a traditional festival that corresponded in the Mexica calendar to a phase of the annual agricultural cycle. Of the festivities related to the goddess Chicomecóatl, the scores of Ochpaniztli and Huey Tozoztli stand out.
Ochpaniztli Twenty
This is one of the main religious ceremonies of the Aztec culture and serves as the starting point of its 18 score calendar. It meant sweeping, as it was the stage in which everything was swept or renewed. This festival, which took place in the Templo Mayor, was consecrated to three goddesses: that of earth (Toci-Teteo Innan), that of corn (Chicomecóatl) and that of water (Atlatonan).
These supernatural entities, responsible for giving continuity to the life cycle of man, were represented by 3 selected slaves who, after participating in processions, songs and dances, were sacrificed.
To personify the goddess Chicomecóatl, a young woman between 12 and 13 years old was usually selected. This ritual phase began with a vigil in which wind instruments, horns and flutes were played, while a litter was prepared in which seeds and ears of corn and chili were placed.
The next day, the slave left her sanctuary and on the litter was carried in procession by the older priests. The tour was a metaphorical representation of the germination and maturity process of corn. It included the passage through the chamber where the effigy of Huitzilopochtli was.
Already at their final destination, in the Chicomecóatl sanctuary, the litter and the ixiptla (the living representative of the god) were placed on a large quantity of vegetables and flowers. There the slave was visited by the nobles who offered her the blood obtained from the sacrifices they had made. At dawn the next day, the young woman was beheaded in her sanctuary and her blood was smeared on the effigy of the goddess, as well as the food offerings.
Twenty by Huey Tozoztli
This score corresponded to the fourth of the Mixtexca calendar and was dedicated to corn itself, through Chicomecóatl and the male representation of Cintéotl. It was recognized for being the festival of 'prolonged fasting', since eating was stopped the four days prior to the ceremonies and because all the altars were decorated with corn plants.
In the courtyard of the temple of 'seven snakes' his image made from paste of tzoalli seeds, amaranth and human blood was placed and he was offered beans, chia seeds and corn.
It was customary to sacrifice a young woman dressed in a green feather, a symbol of the sacred corn, and her blood was used to cover the image of the goddess and her hair would be another offering. The young woman's skin was used to dress the priests, who threw pumpkin and corn seeds to the attendees, amid chants of fervor.
Another prominent rite of this twenty used to be the capture of Cintéotl. For this, the people collected corn plants or maguey roots, which also symbolized the god. They were decorated with flowers and offered offerings of delicacies, atoles, roasted frogs, tortillas, among other tributes.
The men simulated ritual fights in honor of the goddess. Meanwhile, the young women went to the temple of Chicomecóatl, to take the representations of Cintéotl and place them in a barn that contained grains. This rite ended with the sacrifice of children in honor of the tlaloques, in order to obtain rainwater to ensure a good harvest.
Artistic representations
Chicomecóatl Sculpture -Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City. Source: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada
Chicomecóatl usually appears in Aztec documents, such as the Codex Borgia, with the face and body painted red, wearing a rectangular headdress or pleated fan of the same color. In the Florentine Codex he is represented sitting, with seven serpents emerging from his skirt, alluding to his name 'seven serpent'.
According to the descriptions of the Spanish conquerors, wooden images of Chicomecóatl were used in ceremonies and festivals.
It used to be represented as a girl of about 12 years dressed in ornaments in bright colors. She wore a cardboard miter over her long hair and sported gold earrings and a necklace of golden ears of corn strung on a blue ribbon. In her hands she held an object similar to an ear of corn made of feathers and bathed in gold.
References
- Broda, J. (nd). The deities of corn. Mexican Archeology. Recovered from arqueomex.com.
- Dehouve, D. (2017). The names of the Mexica gods: towards a pragmatic interpretation. Travaux et Recherches dans les Amériques du Center, (71), 9-39.
- Mazzetto, E. (2016) The twenty of Ochpaniztli: a possible metaphor of the growth of corn in the spaces of the Templo Mayor de México-Tenochtitlan. Native corn in Mexico,
- Prine, E. & Encyclopædia Britannica (2018, February 16). Chicomecóatl (aztec goddess). Recovered from britannica.com
- Arenas, GL (2016). Deities of agricultural fertility in the Mexica pantheon. Mesoamerican Studies, (7), 45-52.