The Devouring Mother; The Nurturing Vastness of the Universe: A non-western symbol of Feminine Power and True Connection to the Earth

The Primordial Progenitor

In the hierarchy of the Aztecverse, Coatlicue (Nahuatl: "She of the Serpent Skirt") is not merely a goddess of fertility; she is one of the many foundational force of dualism found in the novels. She is the earth that gives life and the earth that eventually devours all it has produced. While deities like Tezcatlipoca act as the engines of conflict and Xochipilli represents the blooming of art, flowers and sexuality, Coatlicue is the raw, unrefined material of existence—the blood and feeds and creates. Her immense size and scale serves as a symbol of the vastness of the cosmos, and as a mother, she embodies and loves all.

She is the "Negative Mother" archetype—a force necessary for our existence, yet inherently dangerous to our individuality. In the Aztecverse, she represents the "maternal debt," the biological and spiritual price paid for the gift of life. To the untrained or colonized Western gaze, she will appear as a monster. For those of us whose ancestry and family are from Mexico, we know otherwise. She represents a connection to nature that differs from the oppressive lens of the European Christian dogma and iconography. She presents a vision that is more ancient and tied into polytheistic world religions from all around the world. And for that reason, she plays a major part in the dramas of the Aztecverse, a series of published books that span time, place and which always come back to the wisdom of the pantheon of Aztec deities.

Manifestation: The Serpent and the Skull Necklace

The iconography of Coatlicue serves as a visceral blueprint for the atmospheric and cosmic beauty (and dread) that defines the Coil series. Every attribute of the images of Coatlicue developed by indigenous artist in the pre-Columbian past are a manifestation of the cycle of life and death:

• Her Serpent Head: Her decapitated neck spurts gouts of blood that transform into two facing serpents, symbolizing the loss of the ego and the emergence of divine power. The snake is a divine animal in the Aztec/Mexica religion.
• The Necklace of Hearts and Human Skulls: A chain of severed human hands and hearts, centered by a skull pendant, representing the earth’s perpetual hunger for sacrifice.
• The Human Breasts: A symbol of universal motherhood and the nourisment of the progenitor who has fed the world  in a way only mothers can.
• The Serpent Skirt: Interwoven rattlesnakes that represent the earth's fertility and the writhing energy of the life force.
• The Thirteen Coils: Her hair consists of thirteen coils, representing the thirteen heavens and the long temporal game leading to the cosmic alignment of 2027.

My Inspirations as a Mexican Artist: Coatlicue in CDMX

Standing over eight feet tall, the monumental andesite monolith of Coatlicue found in the National Museum of Anthropology depicts the Aztec earth goddess as a terrifying yet awe-inspiring figure, featuring a decapitated neck where two serpents meet to represent gushing blood, a necklace of human hearts and hands, and a skirt of intertwined rattlesnakes that symbolizes the dual cycle of life and death.

In 1790, during remodeling work at the Plaza Mayor in what was then the capital of New Spain, an imposing andesite sculpture was discovered. Today, it is recognized as one of the most extraordinary and best-preserved examples of Mexica art. Although its identity has been a subject of debate, there is a general consensus identifying it as Coatlicue, a central goddess in Mexica cosmology and the mother of the patron god, Huitzilopochtli. 

I have experienced Coatlicue, this stunning piece of art made by my ancestors several times when I have visited the museum. In many ways, this image still stays in my heart, and I honor both the image but its symbol through my visual art and especially in the pages of my Aztecverse novels.

Note: Keep in mind that there are multiple stories about the birth of Huitzilopochtli in Aztec mythology. Some of the conflict with others. In my novels, it’s Ometeotl and Omecihuatl who gave birth to Hutizilopochtli and the other three Tezcatlipocas. 

The Blue Hummingbird Schism

The heart of Coatlicue’s narrative in the Aztecverse is the profound resentment of her daughter, Blue Hummingbird, a gigantic black snake made of millions of snakes, who has two pairs of uncanny blue eyes and who serves as a type of protector to Clara and other characters in the series. In traditional myth, the hummingbird is the loyal protector; in this universe, she is a giant, resentful snake who embodies the trauma of the offspring against the progenitor. Her name is also a soft nod to Huitzilopochtli’s nature as the Blue Tezcatlipoca and the hummingbird on the left.

In my novels I have generated new layers of the remains of the myths my Mexican ancestors left behind in oral, visual and written traditions. My "new myth" explores the biological and psychological traces children carry from their mothers—the "embedded cells" of generational trauma that cannot be easily excised. This conflict provides the emotional stakes for the journey into Mictlan, illustrating that even in the realm of the dead, maternal bonds remain a source of both power and misery.

The Author as Proxy

"I was just the proxy. The Mother and the Daughter took hold of me creatively, downloading a story that felt ancient and inevitable." — Cesar Torres

The stories of Coatlicue are not mere constructions; they are "realized myths." The author serves as a vessel for these ancient energies, capturing the moments when the Mexica gods enter our modern dimension. This "Proxy Narrative" reflects the Temicxoch (The Flowery Dream)—a state of consciousness where the artist receives a story as a "bloom" from the divine.

The Mictlan Connection

As a psychopomp, Coatlicue guides souls through the process of rebirth within the Nine Levels of Mictlan. While the Lords of the Underworld (Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl) oversee the transition of souls, Coatlicue embodies a powerful and vast connection to the cosmos. All living things connect to her womb and its mysteries. She has an influence over living and non-living things that is evident in the Aztecverse, but also in modern philosophical reflections by thinkers of color and those of us with indigenous ancestry.

The Coil Series: A Longitudinal Journey

Coatlicue’s presence is a "slow-burn" throughout the Aztecverse, building toward her full awakening.

• 13 Secret Cities: Coatlicue appears off-stage in the ninth level of Mictlan, while her daughter, Blue Hummingbird, illustrates the terrifying nature of the maternal bond.
• Hall of Mirrors (2026): Revisit the goddess through scenes and mentions as the veil between worlds begins to fracture.
• Coatlicue (2027): This upcoming novel will mark the fourth installment of the Coil. It’s a direct sequel to Hall of Mirrors.

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