Mexica Cihuateotl (goddess)

The Cihuateteo or Mocihuaquetzque were the spirits of women who died in childbirth. The Aztecs considered childbirth a form of battle, and its victims were honored as fallen warriors. The Cihuateteo are depicted with skeletal faces and with eagle claws for hands. This sculpture has the date 1-Eagle, one of the five days of the year when the Cihuateteo were thought to descend to the earth and cause particularly dangerous mischief.