
Mictēcacihuātl
Mictecacihuatl is an Aztec goddess, who rules over Mictlān, the Aztec underworld, with her husband Mictlantecuhtli.
Description[]
Mictecacihuatl is often represented with a flayed body and with jaws wide open, said to be in order that she can swallow the stars and make them invisible during the day. Aztecs depicted Mictecacihuatl with a skull face, a skirt made from serpents, and sagging breasts. When she assumes a more humanly form, she takes the appearance of a beautiful woman but wearing the traditional garbs of an Aztec deity and has a ritualistic skull pattern painted on her face.
Overview[]
It is believed that she was born and sacrificed as an infant, then become the mate of Mictlantecuhtli. Together, these rulers of Mictlān had power over all three types of souls dwelling in the underworld—those who died normal deaths; heroic deaths; and non-heroic deaths. She became known as the "Lady of the Dead" due to being born and later sacrificed as an infant.
In one version of the myth, Mictecacihuatl and Mictlantecuhtli are thought to have served a role in collecting the bones of the dead, so that they could be collected by other gods, returned to the land of the living where they would be restored to allow the creation of new races. The fact that many races exist is because the bones were dropped and mixed together before they made their way back to the land of the living for use by the gods of creation.
Her role is to watch over the bones of the dead and preside over the ancient festivals of the dead. These festivals evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with Spanish traditions. She now presides over the contemporary festival as well.