Ancient World

Coyolxāuhqui

In Aztec religion, Coyolxāuhqui (Nahuatl pronunciation: [kojoɬˈʃaːʍki], "Painted with Bells") is a daughter of the goddess Cōātlīcue ("Serpent Skirt"). She was the leader of her brothers, the Centzonhuītznāhua ("Four Hundred Huītznāhua"). She led her brothers in an attack against their mother, Cōātlīcue, when they learned she was pregnant, convinced she dishonored them all. The attack is thwarted by Coyolxāuhqui's other brother, Huītzilōpōchtli, the national deity of the Mexica. In 1978, workers at an electric company accidentally discovered a large stone relief depicting Coyolxāuhqui in Mexico City. The discovery of the Coyolxāuhqui stone led to large-scale excavation, directed by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, to unearth the Huēyi Teōcalli (Templo Mayor in Spanish). The prominent position of the Coyolxāuhqui stone suggests the importance of her defeat by the Centzonhuītznāhua in Aztec religion and national identity.

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See also

• ▸El Brujo
• ▸Harry Watrous
• ▸Ayn Ghazal (archaeological site)

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