Cihuateteo
/siː.watˈteː.teː.oʊ/noun
In Aztec religion, the spirits or deified women who died during childbirth.
Did you know?The Mexica associated the Cihuateteo with the west and believed they could appear at crossroads on particular ritual-calendar days, where they were feared for causing illness or misfortune.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
cihuātl
“Woman; female person”
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
tēōtl
“God, deity, or sacred supernatural power”
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
tēteoh
“Gods or deities; a plural form related to tēōtl”
Late Postclassic period
Classical Nahuatl
cihuātēteoh
“Woman-deities; spirits of women who died in childbirth”
16th Century
Spanish transcription
cihuateteo / cihuapipiltin
“Recorded names for deified women who died in childbirth”
Modern English
English
Cihuateteo
“A term used in English-language scholarship for these Aztec supernatural beings”
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