Chīmalmā
Aztec deity
title: "Chīmalmā" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["aztec-goddesses", "mesoamerican-deities", "death-goddesses", "fertility-goddesses", "health-goddesses", "life-death-rebirth-goddesses"] description: "Aztec deity" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chīmalmā" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Aztec deity ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox deity"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| type | Aztec |
| name | Chimalma |
| image | Chimalma from Codex Laud (folio 39).svg |
| caption | Chimalma displayed in the Codex Laud |
| deity_of | Goddess of fertility, patroness of life and death, guide of rebirth |
| other_names | Chimalmatl, Chimalman |
| consort | Mixcoatl (Codex Chimalpopoca) |
| siblings | Coatlicue and Xochitlicue (Codex Ríos) |
| parents | Tlaltecuhtli and Tlalcihuatl (Codex Zumarraga) |
| children | • With Mixcoatl: Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl (Codex Chimalpopoca) |
| gender | Female |
| region | Mesoamerica |
| ethnic_group | Aztec, Toltec (Nahoa) |
| :: |
| type = Aztec | name = Chimalma | image = Chimalma from Codex Laud (folio 39).svg | caption = Chimalma displayed in the Codex Laud | deity_of = Goddess of fertility, patroness of life and death, guide of rebirth | other_names = Chimalmatl, Chimalman | consort = Mixcoatl (Codex Chimalpopoca) | siblings = Coatlicue and Xochitlicue (Codex Ríos) | parents = Tlaltecuhtli and Tlalcihuatl (Codex Zumarraga) | children = • With Mixcoatl: Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl (Codex Chimalpopoca) | gender = Female | region = Mesoamerica | ethnic_group = Aztec, Toltec (Nahoa) ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Codex_Laud_(folio_39).jpg" caption="Chīmalmā, [[Códice Laud"] ::
Chimalman or Chīmalmā /t͡ʃiːmalmaː/ is a goddess in Aztec mythology, and was considered by the Aztecs to be the mother of the Toltec gods Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl. Her name means "shield-hand."
Several oral traditions say that Chimalman is a spirit which accompanied the Azteca from the homeland of Aztlán. Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl were spiritual entities adopted from the Toltec legacy when the Azteca lived among the Chichimeca. As with many Aztec myths, there are multiple versions of the Chīmalmā story depending on which tribe and time period is examined.
Mother of Quetzalcoatl
Main article: Ce Acatl Topiltzin
"And then when Mixcoatl went to... Huitznahuac, the woman Chimalman came out to confront him... She stood naked, without skirt or shift." While she stood thus, Mixcoatl shot an arrow "between her legs"—on two occasions. "And when this had occurred, he took the woman of Huitznauac, the one who is Chimalman, and lay with her and so she became pregnant." Another version indicates that Mixcoatl saw Chimalman while hunting in the Morelos valley and fell in love with her. When his efforts to approach her failed, he became angry and shot five arrows at her, all of which she caught in her bare hand. She was given the name "shield-hand" and they were later married, but unable to conceive a child. After praying on the altar of Quetzalcoatl, the priest told Chimalman to swallow a small precious stone, after which she became pregnant. This angered Quetzalcoatl's brother, Tezcatlipoca, such that he persuaded others to kill Mixcoatl. Chimalman fled to her hometown of Tepoztlan and died giving birth to her son Topiltzin. Topiltzin would later discover his identity as Quetzalcoatl and that he was sent to help the Toltec civilization. This version is similar to the Codex Chimalpopoca, that indicated, "...Quetzalcoatl was placed in her belly when she swallowed a piece of jade."
References
References
- Susan D. Gillespie. (1989). "Los Reyes Aztecas: La Construcción del Gobierno en la Historia Mexica". Siglo XXI Editores.
- Otilia Meza. (1981). "El Mundo Mágico de los Dioses del Anáhuac". Editorial Universo.
- Cecilio A. Robelo. (1905). "Diccionario de Mitología Nahoa". Editorial Porrúa.
- [[Miguel León-Portilla]] & Earl Shorris: ''In the Language of Kings''. Norton & Co., NY, 2001. Page 62.
- Koch, Peter O.. (2005-11-18). "The Aztecs, the Conquistadors, and the Making of Mexican Culture". McFarland.
- John Bierhorst: ''History and Mythology of the Aztecs; the Codex Chimalpopoca''. University of Arizona Press, Arizona, 1992, p. 28.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::