#aztec folklore

here is xolotl!

Day 6 of Inktober, an Aztec Mythological Water Beast, the Ahuizotl.

An Aztec Beast that looks like a mixture of both a Dog and a Monkey with a Paw at the end of its tail. This creature was said to be a Friend of all Rain Gods. The fur of the Beast has a Waterproof fur as its name comes from the propensity of its fur that when it leaves the Water, they live in all kinds of Water Places (such as Pools or Cavern).

These creatures are said to lure people who wanted to come close towards any water places (like say you'd want a bath or a drink from the lake) into their own death with the catch by their own Third Hand that attempt to drown their own victims (which would let into the Souls of People to Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue, the Gods to collect the favorite souls, but due to have a water-connection with Tlaloc, most Souls would travel down through Tlaloc's paradise for the afterlife). At the end of their victim's doom, the Ahuizotl would end up feasting on their own corpse.

The Cihuateteoh

In Aztec culture, those women who died in childbirth were believed to become dangerous spirits called cihuateteoh. Because of the great harshness of childbirth, labor was viewed as being a different type of ‘war’. It was believed that the child’s spirit was sent down to the earth by the gods, and the woman had to fight and struggle in order to bring it into the world. The newborn child was seen as a sufficient reward if she was successful and emerged victorious from her battle, but if she proved unsuccessful, then she died and became a cihuateotl. 

After the death of such a woman, special funerary practices were carried out, as the body of a woman who had died in childbirth was believed to possess special magic powers. In these special practices, the body was guarded fiercely by an armed entourage that included the widowed husband, his friends, the midwives, and old women. This was deemed necessary due to the need to protect the woman's remains from warriors. Certain parts of her body were believed to be especially powerful relics for warriors, such as her left middle finger and her hair (which contains part of a person’s spirit). According to Aztec belief, “these relics had magical power and, if placed on their shields, would make the warriors brave and valiant, give them strength, and blind the eyes of their enemies.”

The Cihuateteoh all reside in a spiritual domain in the west known as Cihuatlampa, the “place of women.” They were seen as being the female counterparts of the men who died in war, and so they resided in one of the 13 heavens instead of going to Mictlan, the underworld. Each day, the Cihuateteoh guided the sun into the west from noon until sunset. They were assisted by the spirits of the male warriors, and this practice of guiding the sun was seen as exclusive to these two groups of the dead- it was an honor that was not bestowed on any other individuals.

During five specific days of the Aztec calendar, the cihuateteoh descended to the Earth, and became like demons of the night. These five days were the five western trecenas: 1 Eagle, 1 Deer (Ce Mazatl), 1 Monkey (Ce Ozomatli), 1 House (Ce Calli), and 1 Rain (Ce Quiahuitl). They were greatly feared by the Aztecs as they could descend on these particular days to harm women and children with a number of illnesses, including paralyses and epilepsy, or to steal infants. Sometimes they would even induce men to adultery. The cihuateteoh also often haunted crossroads, and so roadside shrines with their statues were often erected to try and appease them. Such depictions show these spirits as women with skeletal faces, wild hair, and skirts fastened with snake belts. Cihuateteoh figures found at the site of El Zapotal are even covered with the flayed skins of victims, and carry staffs bearing human heads as trophies.

La Llorona (Spanish for “weeping woman”) is a popular urban legend found in Latin America. 

There are different versions of La Llorona depending on which Latin American country you are from or where the person you hear the story of La Llorona is from. Basically: long ago, a woman named Maria married a rich man, with whom she eventually had two children. Then their marriage hit a rough patch: her husband spent less and less time at home, and whenever he was home, he paid attention only to the children. Eventually, she sees him with another woman. Enraged beyond reason, some versions claim Maria drowned her two children—but she immediately regretted it, crying out, “Ay, mis hijos!” (Translation: “Oh, my children!”) Maria is sometimes said to have drowned herself afterward. But when she arrived at heaven’s gates, she was denied entry, banished back to purgatory on Earth until she could find her lost children. She’s now known as La Llorona, which translates to “the weeping woman.” Now, the legend says, she floats over and near bodies of water in her white, funeral gown, forever weeping as she searches for her lost children. Some versions of the story say she kidnaps or attacks children; others say she attacks cheating husbands. It is said that when her wails sound near she is actually far and when she sounds distant, she is actually very near. Regardless, when you hear her cries, the directive remains the same: run away, because she will cause misfortune to those who are near or hear her, or even death.

With all urban legend stories, there is always a kernel of truth that inspires these tales. La Llorona’s origins can be found in either a real person, as a prophesied omen, or as a Goddess (or two Goddess combined). 

It is said that La Llorona was actually La Malinche, a native woman who served as an interpreter, guide, and later mistress to Hernán Cortés during his conquest of Mexico. The conquistador left her after she gave birth and instead married a Spanish woman. Despised now by her own people, it is said that La Malinche murdered Cortés’ spawn in vengeance. There is no evidence that the historic La Malinche — who did in fact exist — killed her children or was exiled by her people. But even before the conquistadors showed up to colonize Latin America, there were stories of a weeping woman in Mexico-Tenochtitlan (current-day Mexico City). This woman was, according to theological advisors to Emperor Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, an omen that bad news was coming. This weeping woman was believed to be one of ten omens predicting the conquest of Mexico.