Chicomecoatl

The Goddess of Maize and Sustenance

Domain: Maize, Harvest & Sustenance
Alignment: Neutral Good
Element: Earth
Relics of Power: Double Sacred Cobs

Speak with Chicomecoatl

The People

People

Aztecs (Mexica)

Region

Central Mexico

Period

14th – 16th c.

The Aztec gods were worshipped by the Mexica people from their capital, Tenochtitlan, in central Mexico. They believed the sun would only move if fed with blood, which led to the famous sacrifices atop pyramid-temples. Their world was cut short by the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

The 18-month ritual calendar brought festivals such as Toxcatl, in which a youth lived for a year as the embodiment of Tezcatlipoca. Every 52 years, the New Fire Ceremony extinguished every flame in the empire, rekindled from a single bonfire to prevent the end of the world.

The Sacred Scrolls

Goddess of ripe maize, the harvest, and all sustenance, Chicomecoatl is the 'Seven-Serpents', one of the most important agricultural deities of the Aztecs. She is the female aspect of maize, counterpart of Centeotl, and the provider of the food that sustains life. Without her blessing, the Aztecs believed, famine would ravage the world. As The Goddess of Maize and Sustenance, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the astecas pantheon. Their domains over Maize, Harvest & Sustenance reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The maize cobs, the sun-shield, the seed vessel and the color red

Divine Lineage

Female counterpart of Centeotl, the maize god; linked to the earth goddesses.

The Legendary Myth

At each agricultural cycle, Chicomecoatl was celebrated to ensure the bounty of the harvest and ward off the specter of famine.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the astecas recounts the journey when Chicomecoatl intervened directly in the lives of mortals.