Within generative processes, birth and warfare are closely linked to the cycles of life and death, as well as to processes of human and cosmic fertility and regeneration. For the ancient Nahuas, the Cihuateteo (“deified women”) were those who had died during childbirth or pregnancy and were transformed into sacred beings destined to assist the Sun in its daily descent from the zenith toward the West, or Cihuatlampa (“place of women”), also identified as Cincalco (“house of maize”). They were regarded as warriors and were organized into five armies that descended to the world every 52 days: on the days 1 Deer, 1 Rain, 1 Monkey, 1 House, and 1 Eagle. Despite their active role in maintaining cosmic balance, they were feared by the population, who employed various forms of protection against them.
Upon death, the bodies of these women were carefully guarded, since it was believed that their left middle finger was coveted by warriors for use as a protective amulet on the battlefield. Similarly, sorcerers, or temamacpalitotiqueh (“those who dance with the arm”), sought to obtain their left arm in order to perform “enchantments” that would deprive others of their possessions. Associated with the moon and the night, spheres par excellence of the feminine, the Cihuateteo possessed the ability to cross cosmic thresholds by way of crossroads. Some sources state that they descended at crossroads and that their bodies could be buried in such places. These locations retain their symbolism as points of convergence for the cardinal and temporal forces and have therefore been used both for harmful deposits and for therapeutic purposes.
The figure of the Cihuateteo has maintained historical continuity through successive symbolic reworkings and today shares attributes with, or is sometimes confused with, other female entities such as La Llorona, the Tzitzimime, the Chichima, or witches. As in the past, their condition is liminal: they are ambivalent figures who fulfill protective functions linked to rebirth and the forces of fertility, (lunar and nocturnal,) while at the same time representing a danger, as they are believed to have the ability to cause illness and misfortune to pregnant women, men, and children. Today, to prevent attacks or the abduction of infants, mothers place objects with repellent properties nearby, such as glasses of water, scissors, red threads, or, in some cases, inverted hats.