"Chalchiuhtlicue"

Female figure sculpture which represents the Aztec goddess of water “Chalchiuhtlicue", also called “the Lady of the jade skirt” or “the one of the precious stones skirt”. In this sculpture, the goddess appears in the classical Aztec posture, sitting on her heels with her hands on her knees. She wears a "quechquemitl" or triangular female shirt with a v-neckline, decorated with hanging tassels, and a plain skirt or “cuéitl”. She has a headdress under which the edge of her fringe may be seen and from which hang a series of discs that represent amaranth seeds. The headdress is completed by a folded paper fan or “Tlaquechpanyotl” behind her. Religion controlled and dominated all aspects of daily and ceremonial life in Aztec society. It had an ample pantheon dedicated to earthly, water or celestial deities, each one with different definitions and attributes, which manifested themselves in the weather and in space depending on different natural phenomena. Chalchiuhtlicue was one of the most venerated deities as she was the goddess of water and rain and was responsible for lakes and rivers. Thus, she was the goddess of fertility, intimately related, as wife, mother or sister, to the old rain god, “Tláloc”, who was her complement (duality) and who lived in the “tlacoyan”.