Chīmalmā
| Chimalma | |
|---|---|
Goddess of fertility, patroness of life and death, guide of rebirth | |
 Chimalma displayed in the Codex Laud | |
| Other names | Chimalmatl, Chimalman |
| Gender | Female |
| Region | Mesoamerica |
| Ethnic group | Aztec,Toltec(Nahoa) |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Tlaltecuhtliand Tlalcihuatl (Codex Zumarraga)[3] |
| Siblings | CoatlicueandXochitlicue(Codex Ríos)[2] |
| Consort | Mixcoatl(Codex Chimalpopoca)[1] |
| Children | • With Mixcoatl:QuetzalcoatlandXolotl(Codex Chimalpopoca)[1] |
ChimalmanorChīmalmā/t͡ʃiːmalmaː/ is agoddessinAztec mythology,and was considered by the Aztecs to be the mother of theToltecgodsQuetzalcoatlandXolotl.Her name means "shield-hand. "
Severaloral traditionssay that Chimalman is a spirit which accompanied theAztecafrom the homeland ofAztlán.Huitzilopochtliand Quetzalcoatl were spiritual entities adopted from the Toltec legacy when the Azteca lived among theChichimeca.As with many Aztec myths, there are multiple versions of the Chīmalmā story depending on which tribe and time period is examined.
Mother of Quetzalcoatl
[edit]According to theManuscript of 1558,section 7, the begetting of Quetzalcoatl happened in this way:
"And then whenMixcoatlwent to... Huitznahuac, the woman Chimalman came out to confront him... She stood naked, without skirt or shift. " While she stood thus, Mixcoatl shot an arrow" between her legs "—on two occasions." And when this had occurred, he took the woman of Huitznauac, the one who is Chimalman, andlay with herand so she becamepregnant."[4] Another version[5]indicates that Mixcoatl saw Chimalman while hunting in the Morelos valley and fell in love with her. When his efforts to approach her failed, he became angry and shot five arrows at her, all of which she caught in her bare hand. She was given the name "shield-hand" and they were later married, but unable to conceive a child. After praying on the altar of Quetzalcoatl, the priest told Chimalman to swallow a small precious stone, after which she became pregnant. This angered Quetzalcoatl's brother, Tezcatlipoca, such that he persuaded others to kill Mixcoatl. Chimalman fled to her hometown ofTepoztlanand died giving birth to her sonTopiltzin.Topiltzin would later discover his identity as Quetzalcoatl and that he was sent to help the Toltec civilization. This version is similar to theCodexChimalpopoca,that indicated, "...Quetzalcoatl was placed in her belly when she swallowed a piece ofjade."[6]
References
[edit]- ^abCecilio A. Robelo (1905).Diccionario de Mitología Nahoa(in Spanish). Editorial Porrúa. pp. 345–436.ISBN970-07-3149-9.
- ^Susan D. Gillespie (1989).Los Reyes Aztecas: La Construcción del Gobierno en la Historia Mexica(in Spanish). Siglo XXI Editores. p. 192.ISBN968-23-1874-2.
- ^Otilia Meza (1981).El Mundo Mágico de los Dioses del Anáhuac(in Spanish). Editorial Universo.ISBN968-35-0093-5.
- ^Miguel León-Portilla& Earl Shorris:In the Language of Kings.Norton & Co., NY, 2001. Page 62.
- ^Koch, Peter O. (2005-11-18).The Aztecs, the Conquistadors, and the Making of Mexican Culture.McFarland.ISBN9781476621067.
- ^John Bierhorst:History and Mythology of the Aztecs; the Codex Chimalpopoca.University of Arizona Press, Arizona, 1992, p. 28.
