Centeōtl (deity)
Centeōtl is an important deity in Aztec mythology, recognized as the god of maize (corn), which was central to Aztec life and sustenance. Although he does not feature prominently in narrative myths, Centeōtl embodies the critical intersection of religion and agriculture in Aztec culture. The Aztec civilization heavily relied on maize for their agricultural economy, making Centeōtl's role vital for sustaining their society. He is often depicted as a young male figure adorned with maize in his headdress and holding a scepter topped with maize ears.
Centeōtl is associated with duality, sharing characteristics with the goddess Chicomecoatl, who represents agriculture and fertility, further highlighting the intertwined nature of male and female deities in Aztec belief. His significance is reflected in rituals that took place during the Huei Tozoztli, a festival dedicated to him and Chicomecoatl, aiming to ensure a bountiful maize harvest. In the context of the Aztec pantheon, Centeōtl is also linked to other gods such as the sun deity Piltzintecuhtli. The importance of Centeōtl illustrates the fundamental role of maize in both the spiritual and daily lives of the Aztecs, emphasizing their deep reverence for agricultural practices.
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Subject Terms
Centeōtl (deity)
Symbol: Maize cobs and ears; green cob scepter
Culture: Aztec
Mother: Tlazolteotl or Xochiquetzal
Father: Piltzintecuhtli
Centeötl is the Aztec god of maize (corn). Although Centeötl does not play a central role in the narrative myths of the Aztecs, the god encapsulates the two most important elements in Aztec life: religion and maize. It is not possible to overstate the importance of either factor in the daily life of the Aztecs. Without maize, they could not sustain their cities. Without their religion, they could not sustain the organization of their society.
The Aztec religion was flexible, adopting gods from other Mesoamerican cultures. For example, one of the highest gods, Quetzalcoatl, was rooted in earlier Mesoamerican deities. The Aztec fertility god Xipec Totec was directly borrowed from the Tlapanec people. Centeötl is a god of maize and fertility that echoed earlier similar gods in other cultures.
The Aztec religion divided the world into two parts, the upper and nether worlds. Different celestial objects played important roles in each of these worlds and in Aztec beliefs and rituals.
Likewise, different gods played different roles in both worlds, just as they played different roles in day and night. Many of the gods occupied both worlds. Some gods were Lords of the Day, and others were Lords of the Night. Along with just six other gods, Centeötl belonged to both groups.
This sense of duality extends even to Centeötl’s gender. Although Centeötl is a male god, he is closely associated with Chicomecoatl, the goddess of agriculture and maize. Chicomecoatl is the goddess of young, tender maize and an earth goddess of fertility. Some scholars see too much crossover between the deities and believe they are in fact one in the same.
Centeötl often appears in Aztec codices as a young male figure. Maize cobs and ears of maize may sprout from his head, and he may hold a sceptre featuring green ears of maize. In Aztec artworks Centeötl is identified by ears of maize in his headdress and with vertical lines on his face.
In Mythology
Centeötl does not figure in known narrative myths of the Aztecs, but his role is vitally important within the religion. His name means "maize cob lord" or "the dried ear of the maize god." A variant spelling, Cinteotl, means "sacred maize ear." Centeötl’s importance is commensurate with the central role maize played in Aztec life. Centeötl is the Lord of the Day for days containing the number seven, and he is the fourth Lord of the Night.
Centeötl is the son of the sun deity Piltzintecuhtli, who, according to one tradition, is the planet Mercury. In another version of the Aztec pantheon, Piltzintecuhtli is the god of the rising run and the child of the first human couple.
In one myth his mother was Tlazolteotl, a goddess of fertility and childbirth. Tlazolteotl is actually a rather complex and important Aztec earth-mother. In the Nahuatl language, Tlazolteotl means "filthy deity," a reference to one of Tlazolteotl’s roles as the goddess of sexual impurity and libertine behavior. But other roles of the goddess include destructive uncertainty, predation and destruction of youth, and an ability to absorb human sins.
Alternatively, Centeötl’s mother was Xochiquetzal, the goddess of beauty and sexual love. She was originally the wife of Tlaloc, the extremely important Aztec god of rain.
Centeötl’s partner was Chicomecoatl, whose name means "seven serpents." This earth goddess was the "lady of the unripe maize," and some scholars believe Centeötl is another or later form of this goddess. Some readings of Aztec myths suggest that Centeötl was sacrificed to make the maize grow, and rituals would have replaced the god with living young men.
Origins and Cults
The Aztec religion incorporated deities and rituals from the subject societies they conquered. Because the economy was based on agriculture, primarily of maize, many of the Aztec gods had their origins in agriculture. Centeötl seems to be a cultural descendant of earlier Olmec and Maya maize deities.
As the god of maize, Centeötl was closely associated with life and reproduction. He was also tightly entwined with the kings, whose roles were tied to fertility and sacrifice, which was central to the Aztec religion.
The Aztecs followed two calendars, a 365-day solar calendar and the tonalpohualli, a 260-day sacred calendar. The tonalpohualli is divided into twenty months, each thirteen days long. These are called trecenas. Each trecena is ruled over by a different deity. The trecena dedicated to Centeötl and Chicomecoatl is Huei Tozoztli.
During Huei Tozotli a variety of rituals were celebrated, all intended to guarantee an ongoing supply of maize for the people. Individuals engaged in self-sacrificial blood letting, sprinkling their homes with their own blood. In addition, maize seeds were used to form necklaces worn by young women in honor of the maize gods. Maize cobs were brought to the homes and placed before images of Centeötl and Chicomecoatl.
Another ritual followed the planting of the maize. The people danced in gratitude as the young shoots emerged, and women would dance with their robes open, their breasts exposed to thank Centeötl for the growing maize. Each woman would pick five ears of maize and, in a parade of singing and dancing, take the corn home.
Older women conducted a related ritual involving five ears of maize. They would wrap up the ears as they might wrap a baby and carry the ears on their backs to their homes. The ears of maize were then placed in a special basket where they remained until the following year. Five cobs are also a symbol of Chicomecoatl, which again blurs the distinction between the god and goddess.
Bibliography
Bierhorst, John. History and Mythology of the Aztecs: The Codex Chimalpopocal. Tucson: U of Arizona P, 1998. Print.
Harasta, Jesse and Charles River Editors. The Mythology and Religion of the Aztecs. Seattle: CreateSpace, 2014. Print.
Jones, David M. and Molyneaux, Brian. Mythology of the American Nations. Lanham: Southwater, 2013. Print.
Ollhoff, Jim. Mayan and Aztec Mythology. Edina: ABDO & Daughters, 2011. Print.
Schuman, Michael. Mayan and Aztec Mythology. Berkeley Heights: Enslow, 2001. Print.
Smith, Michael E. The Aztecs. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.