Chalchiuhtlicue

She of the Jade Skirt

Aztec & Maya

Water Childbirth Fertility

Chalchiuhtlicue in the Codex Borbonicus by Aztec (facsimile, 1899)
Chalchiuhtlicue in the Codex Borbonicus Aztec (facsimile, 1899), early 16th century Assemblée nationale, Paris Chalchiuhtlicue enthroned, with a stream of water flowing from her. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Aztec goddess of rivers, lakes and flowing water, and protector of newborns.

Chalchiuhtlicue ruled the waters of the earth and was often paired with the rain god Tlaloc. In the Aztec story of the five suns, she presided over the fourth world, which ended in a great flood. Midwives called on her when bathing newborn babies.

Symbols

Jade skirt Flowing water

In the ancient sources
Nahua accounts recorded after the conquest
Chālchiuhtlicuē
“she of the jade skirt” her name
  • Florentine Codex, Book 1, chapter 11 Goddess of the waters, called the elder sister of the rain gods, honored by all who make their living on the water.
  • Legend of the Suns (1558) She rules the fourth world, the sun '4 Water', which ends in a great flood in which people are turned into fish.
  • Florentine Codex, Book 6 When bathing a newborn, the midwife prays to Chalchiuhtlicue to wash away harm and purify the child.

Cross-checked against these texts and records, in public-domain or freely available versions where they exist. Line, section and chapter numbers follow the standard editions, so a particular translation may differ slightly.

Correspondences Explore all
Element
Water
Colors
Jade green, Blue
Stones & metals
Jade

These mix ancient attributes with modern associations from contemporary pagan and magical practice; the modern ones weren't part of her original worship.

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