"Our mother is as twelve eagles,
goddess of drum-beating...
She comes adorned in the ancient manner
with the eagle crest,
in the ancient manner with the eagle crest."

Quilaztli was also known as a creation goddess. She ground up the bones that Quetzalcoatl brought up from Mictlán, the world of the dead, and put them in a clay jar in the creation of humans of the Fifth Sun.

Quilaztli

Aztecs praised her as the Mother of Humankind.
They also called her Cihuacoatl, Serpent Woman.
The hymn Cihuacoatl Icuic extolls her
coming from Colhuacán, the Place of Elders,
“with her hoe, beating her drum,”
with her hands full of good things.
She also carries a broom.

Aztec legends of their southern migration say that
the powerful sorceress Quilaztli threw down
a challenge to the war chiefs, enumerating her powers
as Eagle Woman, Snake Woman, Warrior Woman
and Underworld Woman.

"From the properties and qualities shown by these titles
you can appreciate what power I wield and what harm I can do you, and if you want to test the truth of this, here is my challenge!"

Quilaztli and her many supporters remained in the homeland, Aztlán, while the war chiefs went south to found the Aztec empire
and the capital city of Tenochtitlán.

Available as a 8 x 10 print, notecards, or magnets. Order
Art by Max Dashu PO Box 3511 Oakland CA 94609 USA © 2002 Max Dashu