Tlazolteotl

The Eater of Filth

Domain: Purification, Lust & Forgiveness
Alignment: True Neutral
Element: Earth
Relics of Power: Broom of Purification

Speak with Tlazolteotl

The People

People

Aztecs (Mexica)

Region

Central Mexico

Period

14th – 16th c.

The Aztec gods were worshipped by the Mexica people from their capital, Tenochtitlan, in central Mexico. They believed the sun would only move if fed with blood, which led to the famous sacrifices atop pyramid-temples. Their world was cut short by the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

The 18-month ritual calendar brought festivals such as Toxcatl, in which a youth lived for a year as the embodiment of Tezcatlipoca. Every 52 years, the New Fire Ceremony extinguished every flame in the empire, rekindled from a single bonfire to prevent the end of the world.

The Sacred Scrolls

Goddess of lust, the fertile earth, and above all the purification of sins, Tlazolteotl embodies the cycle of transgression and redemption. Known as 'the eater of filth', she devours the faults of humankind and restores purity to the soul. At once the provoker of desire and the cleanser of guilt, she unites within herself the two poles of sin. As The Eater of Filth, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the astecas pantheon. Their domains over Purification, Lust & Forgiveness reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The broom, the spun cotton, the crescent nose-ornament and the devoured filth

Divine Lineage

Earth-mother goddess, linked to Toci and the female fertility deities.

The Legendary Myth

Among the Aztecs, it was believed that a person could confess their transgressions to Tlazolteotl only once in a lifetime, usually in old age.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the astecas recounts the journey when Tlazolteotl intervened directly in the lives of mortals.

Cult & Worship

Historically, the cult of Tlazolteotl occupied a central place in the religious and architectural calendar of antiquity.

Relics of Power

The ritual broom with which she sweeps up and devours sins, cleansing the soul of the burdens of transgression.

Did You Know?

She is often depicted with mouth and chin stained black, a sign of the filth she ingests in purifying sinners. In modern astronomy and science, Tlazolteotl's name and symbols inspired the naming of celestial bodies and g…