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Duality is an inherent feature of Itzpapalotl, the Mesoamerica warrior goddess. This can be seen in her name: the term Itzpapalotl meaning either clawed butterfly or obsidian butterfly, both referring to her flint-tipped wings. She could appear as an anthropomorphic butterfly, with clawed hands and feet, as her name suggests, as well as a knife-tipped nose. Alternatively, she could be seen in the form of a human female, wearing a skirt of flints, again equipped with claws, and baring her skeletal face to the world. No matter her appearance, she remained one of the most fearsome goddesses of the Central American pantheon.
Itzpapalotl: The Clawed Butterfly
Itzpapalotl, including being associated with war, is also linked with death and the transformatitive aspects of earth. During creation, she was one of the goddesses who transgressed in Tamoanchan (a mythical paradise), breaking off branches from the sacred tree, which may have been a metaphor/euphemism for sexual transgressions. Because of this sin, she was cast out, along with many other gods.
The butterfly goddess was regarded as a cihuateteo (divine, violent female spirits) and a tzitzimime (a star demon who ate people during solar eclipses). She was associated with the day 1 Calli sign of the Aztec calendar, during which it was believed that so-called evil women could be released from their sin, if they traveled to crossroads and took off their clothing.
The Aztecs didn't celebrate Itzpapalotl like other gods, perhaps due to the fact that she was the patron deity of the Chichimeca, a nomadic people despised by the Aztecs. She featured prominently as the protector and guide of the Chichimeca people; when their rule began she instructed them to make a certain Huactli their king, then instructed them to shoot arrows to the cardinal directions of the wind. Described in this tale is remnants of a Mesoamerican ritual, celebrating the founding of a city which also tracked the path of the sun across a new settlement.
Once upon a time, two brothers, called Mimich and Xiuhnel, pursued a pair of deer which had descended from the sky. One of the animals transformed into a woman, seduced Xiuhnel and lay with him, then ripped open his chest and devoured him. The second woman, Itzpapalotl, entreated the other man to come and drink with her, but after witnessing his brother's gruesome end, Mimich jumped into a fire. She followed him into it and chased the hunter until noon, when a cactus fell from the air, crushing the goddess beneath its weight. In this way Itzpapalotl became the first individual to die during conflict. Mimich led the fire lords to her body and they burned it; an explosion ensued and five multi-colored flint knives flew out. The hunter god Mixcoatl took the white flint and placed the deity's ashes in a sacred bundle. He would use the spirit power of the artifacts to make numerous conquests in Comallan.
The sacred bundle of Itzpapalotl had great regenerative and transformative properties, making it possible for the Mixcoatl and his brethren to greatly expand. The goddess would also go on to live on in female warrior's hearts.
Thank you for reading!
Duality is an inherent feature of Itzpapalotl, the Mesoamerica warrior goddess. This can be seen in her name: the term Itzpapalotl meaning either clawed butterfly or obsidian butterfly, both referring to her flint-tipped wings. She could appear as an anthropomorphic butterfly, with clawed hands and feet, as her name suggests, as well as a knife-tipped nose. Alternatively, she could be seen in the form of a human female, wearing a skirt of flints, again equipped with claws, and baring her skeletal face to the world. No matter her appearance, she remained one of the most fearsome goddesses of the Central American pantheon.
Itzpapalotl: The Clawed Butterfly
Itzpapalotl, including being associated with war, is also linked with death and the transformatitive aspects of earth. During creation, she was one of the goddesses who transgressed in Tamoanchan (a mythical paradise), breaking off branches from the sacred tree, which may have been a metaphor/euphemism for sexual transgressions. Because of this sin, she was cast out, along with many other gods.
The butterfly goddess was regarded as a cihuateteo (divine, violent female spirits) and a tzitzimime (a star demon who ate people during solar eclipses). She was associated with the day 1 Calli sign of the Aztec calendar, during which it was believed that so-called evil women could be released from their sin, if they traveled to crossroads and took off their clothing.
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| "Portrait of Christina as Itzpapalotl" by David Gremard Romero. |
The Aztecs didn't celebrate Itzpapalotl like other gods, perhaps due to the fact that she was the patron deity of the Chichimeca, a nomadic people despised by the Aztecs. She featured prominently as the protector and guide of the Chichimeca people; when their rule began she instructed them to make a certain Huactli their king, then instructed them to shoot arrows to the cardinal directions of the wind. Described in this tale is remnants of a Mesoamerican ritual, celebrating the founding of a city which also tracked the path of the sun across a new settlement.
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| Stone altar of Itzpapalotl, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City. |
Once upon a time, two brothers, called Mimich and Xiuhnel, pursued a pair of deer which had descended from the sky. One of the animals transformed into a woman, seduced Xiuhnel and lay with him, then ripped open his chest and devoured him. The second woman, Itzpapalotl, entreated the other man to come and drink with her, but after witnessing his brother's gruesome end, Mimich jumped into a fire. She followed him into it and chased the hunter until noon, when a cactus fell from the air, crushing the goddess beneath its weight. In this way Itzpapalotl became the first individual to die during conflict. Mimich led the fire lords to her body and they burned it; an explosion ensued and five multi-colored flint knives flew out. The hunter god Mixcoatl took the white flint and placed the deity's ashes in a sacred bundle. He would use the spirit power of the artifacts to make numerous conquests in Comallan.
The sacred bundle of Itzpapalotl had great regenerative and transformative properties, making it possible for the Mixcoatl and his brethren to greatly expand. The goddess would also go on to live on in female warrior's hearts.
Thank you for reading!
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