murder of Coatlicue
E633378
The murder of Coatlicue is a central Mexica (Aztec) mythic episode in which the goddess Coatlicue is attacked by her daughter Coyolxauhqui and her many sons, the Centzon Huitznahua, leading to the miraculous birth and triumph of the god Huitzilopochtli.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| defeat of Coyolxauhqui | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Aztec myth
ⓘ
Mexica myth ⓘ mythological event ⓘ |
| action |
Coyolxauhqui and Centzon Huitznahua attack Coatlicue
ⓘ
Coyolxauhqui incites her brothers to kill Coatlicue ⓘ |
| associatedDeity |
Coatlicue
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Coyolxauhqui NERFINISHED ⓘ Huitzilopochtli NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedGroup | Centzon Huitznahua NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedPlace | Coatepec NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedPlaceType | sacred mountain ⓘ |
| cause | pregnancy of Coatlicue by a ball of feathers ⓘ |
| cosmologicalFunction |
explains rise of Huitzilopochtli as Mexica patron god
ⓘ
explains subordination of moon and stars to the sun ⓘ |
| culture |
Aztec
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mexica NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| featuresGod | Huitzilopochtli NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| featuresGoddess |
Coatlicue
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Coyolxauhqui NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| featuresGroup | Centzon Huitznahua NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| iconographicReference | Coyolxauhqui Stone at Templo Mayor NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainDeity |
Centzon Huitznahua
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Coatlicue NERFINISHED ⓘ Coyolxauhqui NERFINISHED ⓘ Huitzilopochtli NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| motivationOfCentzonHuitznahua | anger at Coatlicue’s pregnancy ⓘ |
| motivationOfCoyolxauhqui | anger at Coatlicue’s pregnancy ⓘ |
| narrativeRoleOfCentzonHuitznahua | rebellious sons of Coatlicue ⓘ |
| narrativeRoleOfCoatlicue | mother of Huitzilopochtli ⓘ |
| narrativeRoleOfCoyolxauhqui | rebellious daughter of Coatlicue ⓘ |
| narrativeRoleOfHuitzilopochtli | miraculously born warrior god ⓘ |
| recordedBy | Bernardino de Sahagún NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| recordedInSource | Florentine Codex NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedMyth |
birth of Huitzilopochtli
ⓘ
dismemberment of Coyolxauhqui ⓘ |
| religiousTradition |
Mesoamerican religion
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mexica state cult ⓘ |
| result |
birth of Huitzilopochtli fully armed
ⓘ
defeat of Coyolxauhqui by Huitzilopochtli ⓘ slaughter of Centzon Huitznahua by Huitzilopochtli ⓘ |
| symbolism |
cosmic battle between light and darkness
ⓘ
mythic legitimation of Mexica warfare ⓘ mythic origin of Huitzilopochtli’s cult ⓘ |
| theme |
cosmic warfare
ⓘ
divine birth ⓘ filial rebellion ⓘ sacred violence ⓘ |
| timeOfMythicSetting | mythic primordial time ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.