Month: September 2020

Itztlakoliuhki (Itztlacoliuhqui)

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By Obzidian

Itztlakoliuhki-Ixkimilli translates to Curved Point of Obsidian or Knife Eye Bundle. Some say that this is a mistranslation, and that the correct interpretation is “Everything Has Become Bent by Means of Coldness”, or “Plant-Killer-Frost”.

Itztlakoliuhki in the Codex Borgia

During the creation of the Fifth World, Itztlakoliuhki was once, Tlawizkalpantekuhtli (Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli) Lord of the Dawn, or Venus as the Morning Star. The sun deity, Tonatiuh demanded obedience and offerings from the other celestials before he would move. Enraged at his demands, Tlawizkalpantekuhtli as the Evening Star shot an arrow at Tonatiuh but his arrow missed. Tonatiuh threw the arrow back at Tlawizkalpantekuhtli, piercing him through the head.

At that moment, the Lord of the Dawn was punished by Tonatiuh and transformed into Itztlakoliuhki, deity of obsidian, coldness, frost, ice, cold, winter, punishment, human misery, objectivity, blind-folded justice and blindness. That is why it is said he represents matter in its lifeless state. Although in my opinion I would say he was the deity of justice. According to the Codex Telleriano-Remensis, an adulterer, was put to death in front of Itztlakoliuhki’s image.

Itztlakoliuhki rules over the 12th trecena Ze-Kuetzpallin. He is associated with the Night and the North. Itztlakoliuhki’s iconography depicts a straw tlaxpanoni (broom) in his hand, symbolizing the function of this wintry death, as the cleaner of the path for new life to emerge. Meaning that for 120 days, Itztlakoliuhki would sweep the grounds with snow. He also has a blind-fold because it is said he had his sight taken from him for attacking Tonatiuh.

Although there is common belief between many Native-American cultures that the eyes are the insight. In Mesoamerican creation stories it is said that humans were removed of their full sight because of their transgressions.

Itztlakoliuhki then became the deity that would take the sight of humans who would abuse consumption of food or carnal lust. He would take the sight of children whose parents were adulterous. He wore a yakameztli (moon shaped nose ring) which expresses the following lunar features of the deities: dominion over death, periodic regeneration, fertility, and power over vegetation, especially the maguey. He was in charge of punishing to death those who became drunk from pulque, the ritual drink from Tomoanchan. Itztlakoliuhki is depicted in the Codex Borgia with the dead man Kuextekatl who is being punished for getting drunk, and stripping naked in public. He is displayed with obsidian because of its association with atonement, self sacrifice, and divination.

Itztlakoliuhki exists in a triality consisting of his two variants-birth, life, and himself as death.

Birth is represented by Tezkatlipoka. Like Tlazoteotl (teteoh of love and purity) Tezkatlipoka, was also one that would hear confessions from humans. Itztlakoliuhki would then punish them accordingly. It is also said that Itztlakoliuhki was not just Tezkatlipoka but the Black Tezkatlipoka and was Zenteotl-Tezkatlipoka who was associated with maize.

In Mesoamerican cultures, maize was also a representation of the flesh. It was a part of all creation stories. Maize was central for the health and wellbeing of humans. Kuetzpallin was the caretaker of the corn and if anyone killed a lizard they would be punished with infertility.

Life is represented by Itzpapalotl who is Itztlakoliuhki’s female counterpart.

The residence of Itztlakoliuhki, was a steep hill covered with sharp obsidians that thwarted the dead as they climbed the place; having climbed and descended the hill, the region was divided into two sections with strong winds, indispensable for the dead to shed all their belongings such as clothing, jewellery, weapons and personal offal or internal organs. These winds were so strong that they raised stones and could cut the corpses of the dead with multiple flint tips as they walk through.

Codex Borbonico

Codex Borgia

Codex Dresden

Codex Telleriano-Remensis

Codex Vaticanus A 3738, 3773

Popol Vuh

Tonalamatl Aubin

Andrews, J. Richard (2003). Introduction to Classical Nahuatl (Revised ed.). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Brotherston, G. (2003). The Year In The Mexican Codices: The Nature And Structure Of The Eighteen Feasts. Estudios de Cultura Náhuatl, 34, 67.

Los desechos y el cambio de pañales de los Indigena

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En Mesoamérica antes de la llegada de los españoles, los indígenas no vestían mucha ropa porque estar desnudos no era algo vergonzoso. El cuerpo desnudo fue aceptado y la gente no lo vio de una manera impactante. Existían estrictos protocolos de higiene. Según algunos de las Crónicas españolas, cuando llegaron a México, no podían creer lo limpio que estaba todo. Se dice que los indigena iban a las casas de baños a veces dos veces al día. Estaban limpios y olían fragantes.

Había un sistema para realizar un seguimiento de los desechos. En la cultura Mexikah, las heces se recolectaban cuidadosamente en canoas debajo de puentes que tenían baños a intervalos regulares. Se quitó y se utilizó como abono o fertilizante en la agricultura.

El uso de orina. Alfredo López Austin explica: “Sin duda, la orina fue el producto del cuerpo humano más utilizado en terapias antiguas [medicina reparadora]. Se utilizó para tratar el esternón [esternón], caspa, forúnculos en la cabeza, tiña del cuero cabelludo, abscesos, heridas, infecciones del oído, caras agrietadas, infecciones del cuello e incluso sarro en los dientes, así como contusiones internas [moretones] , esto último requiere que la medicina se beba.

En general, los indigena usaban materia orgánica para cambiar pañales que era desechable y biodegradable. Se muestra en los restos encontrados en muchos sitios de las Américas que los bebés llevaban poca o ninguna ropa, lo que indicaba que debían haber usado plantas para cambiarles los pañales.

Por ejemplo, los Comanche fabricaban pañales de musgo debido a sus beneficios medicinales, el musgo promueve la curación al absorber la humedad de la piel y se usa para tratar afecciones como el eccema. Las propiedades antisépticas de Moss previenen la dermatitis del pañal. “La mayoría usaba la piel de un animal como parte de la cubierta, pero empacaban el pañal … piel de animal era lo que muchas culturas indigenas usaban para hacer ropa, ya que el cultivo del algodón no se introdujo hasta que llegaron los colonos ingleses, y la hierba y los musgos, específicamente el algodoncillo, eran excelentes para rellenar… ” Colocaban musgo o cedro finamente triturado en las cunas con el bebé durante los viajes largos. Lo cambiarían periódicamente.

Algo que en realidad no se descubrió ni se habló mucho fue cuando el bebé estaba dormido con la madre o cuando lo sostenía en sus brazos. Según la tradición oral y también los estudios recientes realizados con tribus que no están en contacto con la clase social actual. La madre puede sentir si el bebé necesita liberar fluidos corporales. Es de sentido común para una madre que el bebé defeca con algún signo de flatulencia. También se puede predecir después de que el bebé acaba de comer y su abdomen emite sonidos de digestión. Una madre indigena también sabría si estaban a punto de orinar porque comienzan a moverse justo después de despertarse y entra una corriente de aire. En última instancia, existe una conexión de sexto sentido entre la madre y el bebé que indica estas necesidades.

Los niños aprendieron a deshacerse de los desechos o fueron “entrenados para ir al baño” mucho antes de lo que lo hacen hoy. La psicología detrás de esa teoría es que estaban desnudos, por lo que, en esencia, se deshacían libremente de muchas toxinas diferentes. Un niño puede sentir este concepto a una edad muy temprana.

Rathje WL, Murphy C. ¡Basura! La arqueología de la basura. Editores de Harper-Collins. 1992.

El cuerpo humano y la ideología de Alfredo López Austin (trad. Ortiz de Montellano), vol. I, University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 1988, pág. 179

Bogoras, W. 1909 El Chukchee. Museo Americano de Historia Natural Volumen XI. E.J. Brill Ltd., Leiden.

Native American Heritage Month: Cloth Diapers

Ford, James A. 1959 Prehistoria esquimal en las inmediaciones de Point Barrow, Alaska. Artículos antropológicos Museo Americano de Historia Natural Vol. 47, Part 1. Nueva York.

godiaperfree.com/infant-potty-training-in-indigenous-arctica-america-how-people-potty-their-babies-in-countries-without-diapers-part-3/

Native American Waste And Diapering

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By Obzidian

In Mesoamerica prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, Natives did not wear very much clothing because being naked was not something shameful. The naked body was accepted and people did not see it in a shocking view. There were strict hygiene protocols. According to some ov the Spanish Chronicles, when they arrived in Mexico, they could not believe how clean everything was. It is said that Natives would go to bath houses sometimes twice a day. They were clean and smelled fragrant.

There was a system to keep track ov waste. In Mexikah culture, feces was collected in canoes carefully under bridges that had loos at regular intervals. It was taken away and used as manure or fertilizer in agriculture.

The use of Urine. Alfredo López Austin explains:

‘Without a doubt, urine was the product of the human body most used in ancient therapeutics [remedial medicine]. It was utilized to treat the sternum [breastbone], dandruff, boils on the head, ringworm of the scalp, abscesses, wounds, ear infections, chapped faces, neck infections, and even tartar on the teeth as well as internal contusions [bruises], this last requiring the medicine to be drunk.’

In general Native Americans used organic matter for diapering which was disposable and biodegradable. It is shown in the remains found in many sites throughout the Americas that infants wore little to no clothing which indicated that they must have used plants to diaper them.

For example, the Comanche made moss diapers because of it’s medicinal benefits, moss promotes healing by absorbing moisture from skin and is used for treating conditions like eczema. Moss’s antiseptic properties prevents diaper rash. “Most would use the hide of an animal as the cover portion, but they packed the diaper…animal hide was what many Native American cultures used to make clothes, since the cultivation of cotton was not introduced until the English settlers came, and grass and mosses, specifically milkweed, were great for stuffing…” They put moss or finely shredded cedar in the cradleboards with the baby during long travel. They would change it periodically.

Something that was not really discovered or talked about much was when the baby was asleep with the mother or being held in her arms. According to oral tradition and also recent studies done with tribes that are not in contact with today’s social class. The mother can sense if the baby needs to release bodily fluids. It’s common sense to a mother that the baby is having a bowel movement with any sign of flatulence. One can also predict after the baby has just eaten and their abdomen makes sounds of digestion. A native mother would also know if they were about to urinate because they begin to move right after they wake and a draft comes in. Ultimately there is sixth sense connection between mother and baby that signals these needs.

Children learned to be rid of waste or were “potty trained” much earlier than they do today. The psychology behind that theory is that they were naked so in essence they freely disposed ov many different toxins. A child is able to sense this concept at a very young age.

Rathje WL, Murphy C. Rubbish! The archaeology of garbage. Harper-Collins Publishers. 1992.

The Human Body and Ideology by Alfredo López Austin (trans. Ortiz de Montellano), vol. I, University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 1988, p. 179

Bogoras, W. 1909 The Chukchee. American Museum of Natural History Volume XI. E.J. Brill Ltd., Leiden.

https://lalabyebaby.blog/2017/11/28/native-american-heritage-month-cloth-diapers/

Ford, James A. 1959 Eskimo Prehistory in the Vicinity of Point Barrow, Alaska. Anthropological Papers American Museum of Natural History Vol. 47, Part 1. New York.

godiaperfree.com/infant-potty-training-in-indigenous-arctica-america-how-people-potty-their-babies-in-countries-without-diapers-part-3/