Centeotl- Aztec GodDeity"Maize Cob Lord"
Also known as: Cintēōtl and Cinteotl
Description
The gods fashioned humanity from maize, and Centeotl was the maize itself: the ripe ear, ready for harvest. During Huey Tozoztli, nobles pierced their skin and bled over young stalks, returning to the crop what the crop had given them.
Mythology & Lore
The Mountain of Sustenance
Before the current age, maize was hidden inside Tonacatepetl, the Mountain of Sustenance. Quetzalcoatl discovered it there, carried out by red ants through a crack in the rock. He asked the Tlaloque to free it. Their lightning bolts split the mountain and scattered maize of four colors across the land.
Centeotl was born from this release: the maize made flesh, son of Tlazolteotl the earth goddess. Other traditions name Piltzintecuhtli, the young sun, and Xochiquetzal, the flower goddess, as his parents. He shifted between male and female forms. Worshippers addressed whichever aspect their need required.
Huey Tozoztli
In the fourth month of the calendar, priests gathered the first young maize stalks from the fields and brought them to the temples. Nobles pierced their earlobes and shins, letting blood fall over the stalks. Offerings of copal incense filled the precinct. The blessed stalks were returned to the fields.
Relationships
- Family
- Tlazolteotl· Parent⚠ Disputed
- Equivalent to