Jump to content

Toci

Frae Wikipedia, the free beuk o knawledge
Statue o Toci (Tlazolteotl) frae Mexico, 900-1521 CE (British Museum, id:Am1989,Q.3 )

Toci (['tosi]) ("Oor grandmither" in Nahuatl )[1] is a deity figurin prominently in the releegion an meethologie of the pre-Columbie Aztec ceevilization o Mesoamericae. In Aztec meethologie she is attributit as the "Mither o the Gods" (Teteo Innan[2] or Teteoinnan), an associatit as a Mither goddess (cried Tlalli Iyollo, "Hert o the Yird" an aw).

Characteristics an associations

[eedit | eedit soorce]

Awtho considered tae be an agit deity, Toci is no ayes shown wi specific markers o great age. Toci is frequently depictit wi black markins aroond the mooth an nose, wearin a heiddress wi cotton spuils (Miller an Taube 1993, p.170). These are characteristic motifs for Tlazolteotl an aw, a central Mesoamerican goddess o baith purification an filth (tlazolli in Nahuatl), an the twa deities are closely identifee'd wi ane anither.

Toci wis associatit wi healin an aw, an veneratit bi curers o ailments an midwifes. In the 16t century Florentine Codex compiled bi Bernardino de Sahagún Toci is identifee'd wi temazcalli or sweatbaths, in which aspect she is sometimes termit Temazcalteci, or "Grandmither o sweatbaths". Tlazolteotl haes an association wi temazcalli as the "eater o filth" an aw, an such bathhooses are likely tae hae been dedicatit tae either Tlazolteotl or Toci/Temazcalteci.[3]

Toci haed an identification wi war an aw, an haed the epithet "Wumman o Discord" an aw.

Tradeetions in meethologie

[eedit | eedit soorce]

Bi ane Mexica-Aztec legendar tradeetion, at some point durin their lang peregrinations efter leavin the meethical hameland Aztlán, the Mexica servit as mercenars tae the Culhua at their caipital o Culhuacan. The Culhua ruler bestoued his dochter upon the Mexica for an intendit marriage wi ane o the Mexica nobility; housomeivver the Mexica's guidin an chief deity Huitzilopochtli intervened an ordered that she be flayed an sacrificit, insteid. Whan this wis done she transformit intae Toci. The Mexica wur expelled frae Culhuacan bi the Culhua ruler for the act, an the Mexica wur pressed on towards Lake Texcoco. It wis here that shortly thareefter they foondit their caipital Tenochtitlan, frae which base they wad later grow in pouer tae form the Aztec Empire an exert their dominion ower the Glen o Mexico (Miller an Taube 1993).

Festivals an rites

[eedit | eedit soorce]

Durin the veintena o Ochpaniztli in the Aztec calendar, harvest-time festival rites wur held tae honor Toci, in her aspect as "Hert o the Yird" (Miller an Taube 1993) wur held, associatit wi the time o harvest.

See an aw

[eedit | eedit soorce]
  1. From tae-, first body plural possessive, an cihtli, "grandmither" (the absolutive suffix -tli is dropped). See an aw Campbell (1997).
  2. Lit. "gods, their mither". Campbell, op. cit.
  3. Sections o the Codex Magliabechiano indicate that the god Tezcatlipoca servit as tutelar god for temazcalli, housomeivver its illustrations clearly show the face o Tlazolteotl abuin the doorwey; see discussion in Miller an Taube (1993, p.159).

References

[eedit | eedit soorce]
  • Campbell, R. Joe (1997). "Florentine Codex Vocabulary". Archived frae the original on 28 Apryle 2006. Retrieved 17 Julie 2006.Archived 2006-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
  • Miller, Mary (1993). The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05068-6. Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)