Overview
This lecture describes the Aztec festival marking the transition from the rainy to dry season, focusing on the midwife Xoquauhtli's choices and rituals that blend birth, warfare, and religion.
Seasonal Transition & Festival Context
- The day "7-Monkey" dawns during the festival marking the shift from summer (gods feed people) to winter (people feed gods).
- Summer is when corn is plentiful; winter requires humans to repay the gods.
- This festival is central to maintaining the balance between humans and deities.
Roles of the Midwife and Goddess Teteoinnan
- Xoquauhtli, a midwife, owes devotion to Teteoinnan, a warrior goddess of birth and battle.
- Teteoinnan influences both women’s childbirth "battlefields" and men’s military conflicts.
- Xoquauhtli must choose between attending a birth and participating in the goddess's festival.
Ritual Activities and Ceremonies
- Women prepare for the festival by sweeping and hanging gourds in the city.
- Two temples atop the Great Pyramid honor the rain god (north) and war god (south); equinox sun rises between them.
- The festival features mock battles between midwives and physicians using marigolds and reed balls.
Childbirth Rituals and Practices
- Xoquauhtli’s patient’s family observes taboos (no hard work, gum, or lifting).
- During labor, the midwife uses cihuapatli (herb), massages, tobacco rubs, and prayers.
- Birth is treated as a battle, with the mother and baby praised as warriors.
- The newborn is blessed with water, breath, and compared to greenstone (jade), invoking creation myths.
Post-Birth and Spiritual Practices
- Newborn’s health is safeguarded by warming her tonalli (soul center) at the hearth.
- The tonalli’s warmth is believed essential for well-being and future strength.
- The mother is honored as an eagle or jaguar warrior for her strength.
Culmination of the Festival
- A symbolic sacrifice occurs: a woman is beheaded atop the pyramid to represent corn’s harvest.
- She is reborn as Lady Teteoinnan and oversees new warriors' induction.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Teteoinnan — Female warrior goddess of childbirth and battle, central to the festival.
- Tonalli — Vital "soul" energy or center in the body, crucial for health.
- Cihuapatli — Medicinal plant used to aid childbirth.
- Equinox — Time when the sun rises between two temples, signaling seasonal change.
- Nochtles — Objects thrown in mock battles during the festival.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the roles of Teteoinnan and the significance of tonalli in Aztec belief.
- Study the structure and rituals of Aztec seasonal festivals for further context.