Mictēcacihuātl (, meaning "Lady of the Dead"), in

Aztec mythology Aztec mythology is the body or collection of myths of the Aztec civilization of Central Mexico. The Aztecs were Nahuatl-speaking groups living in central Mexico and much of their mythology is similar to that of other Mesoamerican cultures. Accord ...

, is a

death deity Many have incorporated a god of death into their mythology or religion. As death, along with birth, is among the major parts of human life, these deities may often be one of the most important deities of a religion. In some religions in which a ...

and consort of

Mictlāntēcutli Mictlāntēcutli () or Mictlantecuhtli (, meaning "Lord of Mictlan"), in Aztec mythology, is a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan (Chicunauhmictlan), the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld. He is one of the principal gods ...

, god of the dead and ruler of

Mictlān Mictlan () is the underworld of Aztec mythology. Most people who die would travel to Mictlan, although other possibilities exist. (see " Other destinations", below). Mictlan consists of nine distinct levels. The journey from the first level t ...

, the lowest level of the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...

. 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 The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

traditions into the modern

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...

after synthesis with Spanish traditions. She now presides over the contemporary festival as well. She is known as the "Lady of the Dead", since it is believed that she was born, then sacrificed as an infant. Mictēcacihuātl was represented with a

flayed Flaying, also known colloquially as skinning, is a method of slow and painful execution in which skin is removed from the body. Generally, an attempt is made to keep the removed portion of skin intact. Scope A dead animal may be flayed when pr ...

body and with jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day.Fernández 1992, 1996, p. 142.

In popular culture

*Mictēcacihuātl is a major character in ''

Onyx Equinox ''Onyx Equinox'' is a Mexican-American adult animated streaming television series created by Sofia Alexander for Crunchyroll. It is based on the mythologies of Mesoamerica, featuring deities of Aztec, Maya and Zapotec myth, while also making re ...

''. *Under the name "Lady Micte", Mictēcacihuātl is a supporting character in ''

Maya and the Three ''Maya and the Three'' (Spanish title: ''Maya y los tres'') is a computer-animated fantasy streaming television miniseries created by Jorge R. Gutiérrez and produced by Tangent Animation. The nine-episode series premiered on Netflix on Octo ...

''.

Notes

References

* * Aztec goddesses Death goddesses Underworld goddesses Mesoamerican deities {{Mesoamerica-myth-stub

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References