Tzitzimitl

Common card · No. 268326

A Tzitzimītl (plural Tzitzimīmeh) is a type of celestial deity associated with stars in Aztec mythology. They were depicted as skeletal female figures wearing skirts often with skull and crossbones designs. In post-conquest descriptions they are often described as "demons" or "devils", but this does not necessarily reflect their function in the Cemanahuacan belief system of the Aztecs. The Tzitzimimeh were female deities and related to fertility. They were associated with the Cihuateteo and other female deities such as Tlaltecuhtli, Cōātlīcue, Citlālicue and Cihuacōātl, and they were worshipped by midwives and parturient women. The leader of the tzitzimimeh was the goddess Itzpapalotl, who was the ruler of Tamoanchan, the paradise where the Tzitzimimeh resided. The Tzitzimimeh were also associated with the stars and especially the stars that can be seen around the Sun during a solar eclipse. This was interpreted as the Tzitzimimeh attacking the Sun, thus causing the belief that during...

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