Chalchiutlicue or "She of the Jade Skirt", ink and natural pigment on agave paper, unknown artist, included in the Codex Borbonicus by unknown Aztec priests, Mexico, 16th century
Chalchiuhtlicue was the Aztec goddess of lakes and streams. She was related to the liquid environment of the womb and played an important role in ceremonies related to birth. In this image, a stream issues from beneath the goddess with two small humans, likely infants, carried up in the waters. There are seashells at the edges of the water, indicating Chalchiuhtlicue's association with fertility. Shells like those were deposited in large amounts in the caches on the Tlaloc side of the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan and corresponded to the fertile, water-related mountain of sustenance.
As the meaning of her name suggests, she wears an ornamented jade skirt and her face is adorned with the characteristic black, vertical lines on her lower cheeks.
Bibliothèque de l'Assemblée Nationale Française, Paris
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Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished.Original image by Unknown Artist. Uploaded by Jordy Samuels, published on 06 November 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
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References
- Miller, Mary Ellen & Taube, Karl. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. Thames & Hudson, 1997.
- Realms of the Sacred in Daily Life: Early Written Records of Mesoamerica, accessed 23 Oct 2025.
Cite This Work
APA Style
Artist, U. (2025, November 06). Chalchiuhtlicue. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21257/chalchiuhtlicue/
Chicago Style
Artist, Unknown. "Chalchiuhtlicue." World History Encyclopedia, November 06, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21257/chalchiuhtlicue/.
MLA Style
Artist, Unknown. "Chalchiuhtlicue." World History Encyclopedia, 06 Nov 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21257/chalchiuhtlicue/.
