Chantico

Chantico inCodex Ríos

InAztec religion,Chantico( "she who dwells in the house" ) is the deity reigning over the fires in the family hearth. She broke a fast by eatingpaprikawith roastedfish,and was turned into adogbyTonacatecuhtlias punishment. She was associated with the town of Xochimilco, stonecutters, as well as warriorship. Chantico was described in various Pre-Columbian and colonial codices.

Naming variations

Texts from the informants ofBernardino de Sahagúnaffirm Chantico's name to mean "she who dwells in the house" or "she who comes to make the house."Chantico is also said to also have been calledQuaxolotl( "Two Headed" ),since the male Aztec deity reigning over fire is namedXolotl.Chantico was also nicknamedChiconauiAlternate spellings of Chantico include Cantico.Chantico was also known by her calendric name,Chicunaui itzcuintli(Nine Dog). According to interpreter Pedro de Rios, Chantico was also known as "Lady of the Capsicum-Pepper" and "yellow woman." Chantico was known to stonecutters asPapaloxaual(Butterfly Painting) andTlappapalo( "she of the red butterfly" )

Origin narrative

According to theCodex Vaticanus A,also known asCodex Rios,Tonacatecuhtli turned her into adogwhen she broke fast during a religious celebration by eating roastedfish and paprika,leading her to gain the name "Nine Dogs." Those born on the ninth day of eighteenthtrecena,over which Chantico presided, would encounter misfortune since that day was associated with sorcerers, said to shape-shift into a number of animals.

History

ScholarEduard Selerconclude that at the time of Sahagún's writings, Chantico was primarily with the town of Xochimilco. largely due to a large population ofstonecutters,known astlatecque,residing there. He based his conclusion off of Sahagún's decision to mention Chantico's calendric name when listing deities that were particularly important to thetlatecque.

According to texts from the informants ofBernardino de Sahagún,Chantico was worshipped in a temple known as a tetlanman,in which priests prepared "red and black pigments, sandals, a robe, and small marine snails" for Chantico's feast.Chantico was also worshipped in the twenty ninth building ofTemplo Mayoraccording to Sahagún.According toFray Juan de Torquemada,Chantico was also worshipped in a temple constructed by Moquihuix, ruler of Tlatelolco, in an attempt to conquer Tenochtitlan.

During the Aztec empire, Chantico held strong associations to military forces. According to inquisitorial records,Moctezumareportedly used an idol effigy of Chantico that had a removable leg with which one would pound the earth in order to curseHernán Cortés's advances into theAztec Empire.

Iconography

Chantico in Codex Borgia

InCodex Borgia,Chantico is depicted as having a yellow face marked with two red lines, which designate her as a fire goddess, and a yellow body. Said red lines are placed at around the same height as black strokes seen in depiction ofXolotl.She is referred to as "mujer amarilla" ( "yellow woman" ). She is depicted sitting on a chair, under which a flask lies, and wearing a nose ornament known as ayacapapalotl.She is also depicted with a series of small disks that wrap around her head.

Chantico depicted as an eagle foot in theCodex Borgia

Sahagúnand his informants describe Chantico by stating

"She has a bulge of rubber on her lips, half of her face painted red, a bouquet made of dried herbs, her gold ear decorations. On her back she carries a bundle of light. Her shirt with water flowers. Her shield with mosaic of eagle feathers, She has her clothes in one hand that ends in a tip, made of inverted feathers and with paint of obsidian tips. Her white kilt, her bells, her white sandals"

-Bernardino de Sahagun, "Ritos, sacerdotes, y atavíos de los dioses"

Chantico is commonly depicted with markers that illustrate her association to warriorship. Chantico's headdress in theCodex Riosdisplays military attributes: a crown of poisonouscactusspikes, related to danger and aggression; a crest ofaztaxelli,green warrior's feathers, connecting her with warfare. At the nape of her neck is a band that forms thealt-tlachinolli,or water-fire, a symbol for warfare and pestilence. Theatl-tlachinolliserves as an iconographic marker of Chantico, being seen in the CodexAubin Tonalamatl,Codex Borbonicus,Codex Telleriano Remensis,and theCodex Rios.It is depicted as a stream of blue water intertwined with redfire.The Codex Borgia depicts Chantico through an eagle foot covered in jaguar skin, a symbol of Chantico, sitting on top of a sacrificial blood-dish, alluding to warrior sacrifice. The Codex Borbonicus shows Chantico wearing a blue nose ornament known as ayacaxihuitlalso worn by Xolotl

Other iconographic markers associated with Chantico includesitzcactli( "obsidian sandals" ),seen in the Codex Aubin Tonalamatl's representation of Chantico, and representations of a solar picture, seen in a golden pendant seen in theCodex Telleriano Remensis'sdepiction of Chantico.

Debates

Gender

Although most commonly referred to as a female deity, the gender of Chantico remains unclear in certain historical writings. For example, theCodex Riospresents ambiguous pronouns, stating

Cantico they say was the first who offered sacrifice after having eaten a fried fish; and that in consequence of the presumption of offering sacrifice without having fasted,Tonacatecuhtlibecame incensed, and pronounced a curse against him (her), that he (she) should be changed into a dog, which is an animal of a very voracious nature; and accordingly they named him (her) Nine Dogs. He (she) presided over these thirteen signs. They said that he who was born on the first sign of Air (Wind) would be healthy by his nativity; but that if he grew ill of pains or cancer, that his disease would be incurable. He who was born on the ninth sign they believed would be unfortunate, because that sign was dedicated to sorcerers and necromancers, who transformed themselves into the shapes of various animals -Codex Rios

The Kingsborough commentary on theCodex Telleriano-Remensisalso utilizes male pronouns, referring to Chantico as "the lord of chile" or "the yellow woman."However, in depictions of Chantico in Sahagún's manuscripts, Chantico is depicted with an upper-body garment and white skirt typically worn by women.

Mention in Duran's writings

Diego Duránmakes no reference to the deity Chantico by name, but does reference a female deityCiuacouatlwhich he associates with Xochimilco.Eduard Seler,a German anthropologist known for his extensive study of Mesoamerican cultures, notes in his commentary on the Codex Vaticanus B that he believes that Duran confused the Aztec deityCiuacouatlwith Chantico due to the proximity of the cities with which they are respectively associated with.However,H.B. Nicholson,scholar of Aztec civilization, regards such a viewpoint as "dubious."

Representation in theTemplo Mayor

Upon encountering the colossal head found in the Templo Mayor, known as the Coyolxauhqui-Chantico monument, Mesoamerican scholar Hermann Mayer gave it is current name. Eduard Seler recognized that iconographic elements associated with Chantico, such asitzcactli( "obsidian sandals" ) and a golden pendant related to a solar picture,were present in the Coyolxauhqui-Chantico monument. Despite such associations, no colonial sources explicitly link Chantico to the Aztec deityCoyolxauhqui.Scholar H.B. Nicholson argues that Chantico is a manifestation ofCoyolxauhquiand therefore, the name given to the monument is valid.

Gallery

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  Chantico (right) depicted inNahuatlcodex Aubin Tonalamatl
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  Chantico as depicted inCodex Borbonicus
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  Chantico represented inCodex Telleriano Remensis
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  Chantico (left) as depicted inCodex Fejevary-Mayer
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  Chantico as depicted in Sahagún's Ritos, Sacerdotes, y atavíos de los dioses