Author: * Yolihuani Acamapichtli -
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Date: Apr 7, 2004 - 19:28
I had some difficulties in locating info on this goddess and perhaps the more well-known, or 'greater' deities should have come first in our long row. On the other hand, we do want to know about as many as possible, don´t we? Here ya´ go:
Toci/Toze/Tonantzin - this is a goddess who sometimes i called Tlallai Iyolta which means 'the hearth of th earth'. That is, she was causing erthquakes. A rather descriptive word eh?
There are a few identifications coming in here. Toci is said to be the same as Tonantzin. Toci and Tonantzin was/were(?) 'the mother of god'. The name Toci means 'our mother'.It also means 'our grandmother'. Her broom played an important part in commemorative rituals. (Her broom??)
Well, there was the Ochpaniztli feast, the 'Sweeping of the Roads', celebrated the 16th September in honor of Toci. On this day people swept their houses and all roads. Human sacrifices were made, there were tumultuous feigned fights in which Toci was symbolically represented by a warrior clad in the skin of a sacrificed female victim. Equipped with a broom this symbolical Toci pursued the fighting mob and in doing so it was considered that there was an earthquake.
When the harvest was almost over, Toci, who was the goddess of that maize which had been gathered for using, was beheaded and skinned. A priest clothed himself in this skin and a piece of the goddess´s thigh was offered in the Temple of Cinteotl, god of the maize. Here another priest made a mask out of it and in wearing this he symbolized a woman in childbirth. As Toci also was a goddess of war and death, warriors came marching by in procession. During the ritual dances were also performed and the king with his followers threw objects to the priest who was representing Toci. Then he went with the skin and the mask of Cinteotl to a fortress at the frontier and left it hanging there with its arms outstretched.
That´s more or less what I found. I did find some references to Tonantzin however, placing her as the Aztek earth goddess and the patroness of corn. Catholic priests renamed Tonantzin Guadelope in honor of the Virgin of Guadelope.
Sources:
Mythopedia
Götter und Sagengestalten
Okay folks, I´m out hunting again!
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