Oxomoco' also known as Oxomo is an Aztec deity, the goddess of the night, the astrology and the calendar. Oxomoco and Cipactonal were said to be the first human couple, and the Aztec comparison to Adam and Eve in regard to human creation and evolution. They bore a son named Piltzintecuhtli, who married a maiden, daughter of Xōchiquetzal. As an older woman she was also known as Itzpapalotl.

Origin of the name

Dr. Rafael Tena of the INAH translates the name Oxomoco as "First Woman" saying that it is a Huastec word morphed into Nahuatl. Uxumocox; Uxum (Woman) and Ocox (First).

Depictions

Oxomoco and Cipactonal are mentioned in the Aztec '' Annals of Cuautitlán''; they were in charge of the calendar. They also appear in Quiché legends such as within the

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, one of the Maya peoples who also inhabit the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, ...

. Some scholars, such as the Nicaraguan Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés claim that Cipactonal was actually the female and Oxomoco actually the male and referred to one of them as Tamagastad. Other scholars from the Nicaraguan perspective such as

Ephraim George Squier Ephraim George Squier (June 17, 1821 – April 17, 1888), usually cited as E. G. Squier, was an American archaeologist, history writer, painter and newspaper editor. Biography Squier was born in Bethlehem, New York, the son of a minister, Joel S ...

and Frank E. Comparato also claim that Oxomoco was male and Cipactonal female and claim that they were sorcerers and magicians.

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

terms of the four shamans who stayed at Tamoanchan are not gendered with the exception of Oxomoco who was female. In the ''

Codex Borbonicus The Codex Borbonicus is an Aztec codices, Aztec codex written by Aztec priests shortly before or after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. It is named after the Palais Bourbon in France and kept at the Bibliothèque de l'Assemblée National ...

'', Oxomoc, like Cipactonal, usually wears the tobacco gourd of priests on her back. In some depictions the goddess is wearing a butterfly mask and throwing maize and beans from a vessel. In the Florentine Codex, Oxomoco is depicted divining with knotted cords. There is a notable carving of Oxomoco and Cipactonal near Yautepec,

Morelos Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...

References

{{Aztec mythology Aztec goddesses Night goddesses Mythological first humans