Coyolxāuhqui
In Aztec religion, Coyolxāuhqui (Nahuatl pronunciation: [kojoɬˈʃaːʍki], "Painted with Bells") is a daughter of the priestess Cōātlīcue ("Serpent Skirt"). She was the leader of her brothers, the Centzon Huitznahua ("Four Hundred Huitznahua"). She led her brothers in an attack against their mother, Cōātlīcue, when they learned she was pregnant, convinced she dishonored them all. The attack is thwarted by Coyolxāuhqui's other brother, Huitzilopochtli, the national deity of the Mexicas.
| Coyolxauhqui | |
|---|---|
Goddess of the moon | |
Disk depicting a dismembered Coyolxāuhqui, which was found during construction in 1978 in Mexico City. Its discovery led to the excavation of the Huēyi Teōcalli. | |
| Planet | Moon |
| Region | Mesoamerica |
| Ethnic group | Aztec, Mexica (Nahoa) |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Mixcoatl and Coatlicue (Codex Florentine) |
| Siblings | • Huitzilopochtli and the Centzon Huitznahua (Codex Florentine) • the Centzon Mimixcoa (Codex Ramirez) |
| Consort | None |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Selene |
| Maya equivalent | Awilix |
In 1978, workers at an electric company accidentally discovered a large stone relief depicting Coyolxāuhqui in Mexico City. The discovery of the Coyolxāuhqui stone led to a large-scale excavation, directed by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, to unearth the Huēyi Teōcalli (Templo Mayor in Spanish). The prominent position of the Coyolxāuhqui stone suggests the importance of her defeat by Huitzilopochtli in Aztec religion and national identity.