The Centzon Huitznahua marshaled at Coatepec to slay their mother Coatlicue for her shameful pregnancy, but Huitzilopochtli routed and scattered them from the mountain, transforming them into the southern stars.
Coatlicue was sweeping atop Coatepec when a ball of hummingbird feathers drifted down from the sky and she tucked it into her bosom, conceiving Huitzilopochtli in that miraculous instant.
Coyolxauhqui led the Centzon Huitznahua up the slopes of Coatepec to murder their mother Coatlicue, but Huitzilopochtli burst forth fully armed and struck her down, sending her dismembered body tumbling to the mountain's base.
Huitzilopochtli was born fully armed at Coatepec, the sacred hill where Coatlicue was attacked by Coyolxauhqui and the Centzon Huitznahua.
The Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan was built as a ritual recreation of Coatepec, the Serpent Mountain where Huitzilopochtli burst from Coatlicue's womb to slay the Centzon Huitznahua — each new temple layer re-enacting his cosmic victory at the city's sacred center.
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