Today is the Winter Solstice, the day with the longest night of the year. Today we celebrate the birth of Huitzilopochtli, patron deity of the Mexica, Lord of the Midday Sun. This is His story:
According to the sacred narrative, Coatlicue, She of the Serpent Skirt, was sweeping Her temple one day, when She found a ball of precious feathers. She kept it under Her huipil and later discovered She was pregnant. When She announced this to Her daughter and sons, They became filled with anger. Jealous, the elder of them, Coyolxauhqui, created a plan to kill Her mother before the birth of Her new son.
When Coatlicue discovered Her children planned to kill Her, She sought refuge in Coatepec, the Serpent Mountain. There, She heard the voice of Her unborn son, who consoled Her and promised to protect Her. When the sons and daughter of Coatlicue reached the mountain, Huitzilopochtli, the Sun, was born as an adult, ready for war, armed with the Xiuhcoatl, Fire Serpent, the luminous rays with which the sunrise defeats the night.
As soon as He was born, Huitzilopochtli fought His sister, Coyolxauhqui, and His brothers, the Centzonhuitznahuac. With the Xiuhcoatl, Fire Serpent, Turquoise Serpent, He brought light to the night, defeating and capturing His brothers. He threw His sister from the top of Coatepec, the Serpent Mountain, and She fell, dismembered at its base. Victorious, Huitzilopochtli became the Sun, conqueror of darkness, ignorance, injustice and hatred. Coyolxauhqui was turned into the Moon, the sister who every night tries to defeat the Sun, and the Centzonhuitznahuac, the 400 brothers of Huitzilopochtli, became the Stars, prisoners of the Sun.
You can find prints of The Birth of Huitzilopochtli and my paintings of Coyolxauhqui and Coatlicue (Cihuacoatl) in my Etsy store! Click here!
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