Brasero Chalchiuhtlicue

One of the five braziers recovered in Tláhuac by an archaeological rescue that represents water and vegetable fertility deities. It has attached to the body of the vessel the image of the goddess of water of springs, lakes, rivers and seas, called Chalchiuhtlicue (“Her skirt of jades”), depicted with the characteristic headdress of bands finished at the top and bottom with small discs and two big cotton tassels on both sides of the head, complemented with a beautiful headdress of blue feathers and a paper bow folded in the back of the head. The jewels, earflaps and bead necklace are blue like the water. It holds in the right hand a stick of rattles or chicahuaztli, symbol of fertility, and in the left one a couple of corncobs.The sides of the brazier have overlays in the shape of smoke spirals and tongues of fire that indicate that this kind of vessel was used to burn resins as tribute for the represented god.Chalchiuhtlicue was the older sister of the gods of the rain called tlaloques, companion or wife of Tláloc and mother of the Moon. According to the Nahua mythology, Chalchiuhtlicue presided for one of the five Suns or cosmogonic eras, precisely during the Sun called “nahui atl” (‘four water’), destroyed by floods and men were transformed into fish.Arqlga. Bertina Olmedo Vera