Mictecacihuatl
/miːk.te.ka.siˈwaːt͡ɬ/noun
In Aztec religion, the goddess of the underworld and ruler of Mictlan, the land of the dead.
Did you know?Mictecacihuatl was honored in rituals connected to the dead, and her name preserves the Nahuatl word for Mictlan, the underworld where souls were believed to journey after death.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Mīctēcacihuātl
“Lady of Mictlan; goddess associated with the dead and the underworld”
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Mīctlān
“Place of the dead; the underworld”
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
cihuātl
“woman, wife, lady”
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
mictia
“to die; to kill”
Modern English
English
Mictecacihuatl
“The Aztec goddess of the underworld and the dead”
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