Mictecaciuatl

(Mic-tay-ca-OO-til)

Variations: Lady of the Place of the Dead, Mectecaciuatl

The ancient Aztec people both feared andrevered the vampiric moon goddess Mictecaciuatl. She was seen as both a creator and a destroyer. Her arms, face, and hands were painted white with chalk, just like the other vampiric women in Aztec lore, CIHUACOATL and CIHUATETEO. Mictecaciuatl lived with her husband, MICT-LAMPA, in the dark but restful underworld known as Mictlan. Their home plane was filled with the souls of men who drowned or did not die in battle and women who died in childbirth. When a person died in such a way that they were bound for Mictlan, along with their personal possessions, they were buried with bribes specifically for Mictecaciuatl; it was hoped that by her accepting them, she would in turn make their afterlife as comfortable as possible.

Source: Seler, Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, 52, 105, 191­ 92; Soustelle, Daily Life of the Aztecs, 107; Turner, Dictionary of Ancient Deities, 321