Central American Goddesses

Aida Wedo, Rainbow Snake	Ayizan, Mat of the Earth	Chalchiuhtlicue, Lady of Waters
Chantico, Lady of the Hearth	Coatlicue, Serpent Skirt	Erzulie, Lady of Love
Hoatziqui, Lady of the Dead	Ix Chel, Lady Weaver	Ixtab, Mistress of Death
Loa, Beautiful Lady	Mayahuel, Many-Breasted	Olosa, Lady Crocodile
Teteoinnan, Lady Midwife	Tlazoteotl, Filth Lady	Xochiquetzal, Flower Mistress

As defined here, Central America includes the cultures/regions of Mexico, Central America proper (or MesoAmerica), and the islands of the Caribbean. For an overview of the Goddesses of Latin America as a whole, see also South American Goddesses.

The most well-known pre-Columbian inhabitants of Central America are the Maya and the Aztecs. The Maya flourished from 250-900 CE. Ruins of cities such as Tikal and Bonampak have been found throughout southern Mexico, Gautemala, northern Belize and western Honduras. The Maya inherited many of the inventions and innovations of earlier cultures, such as the Olmec and Teotihuacan, but were equally inventive themselves. They developed astronomy, beautiful ceremonial architecture, a complex hieroglyphic writing system and a sophisticated, two-pronged calendrical system. An elite priesthood and nobility ruled over the majority of Maya, who farmed maize, squash, beans and chili peppers. For reasons still unclear, the Maya civilization began to decline about 900 CE; many cities were simply abandoned, while others were destroyed in violent internecine warfare. Contrary to popular belief, the Maya are not extinct; many still live in the southern provinces of Mexico. In recent years, the Mexican government has faced increasingly militant and violent native uprisings, many centered around a demand for equitable distribution of viable farmland and justice for women raped and abused by Mexican soldiers.

The Aztecs are another well-known Central American people. The Aztecs flourished in what is now central Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of the common era; their capital, Tenochtitlan, now lies beneath Ciudad de Mexico. The central symbols of their foundation myth--eagle, snake, cactus--now appear on the Mexican flag. A despotic and militaristic people, they eventually came to rule some four hundred to five hundred of the surrounding tribes. (They have been Eurocentrically referred to as the "Romans of the Americas.") The Aztecs were gifted agriculturalists, who introduced irrigation, drained swamps, created artificial islands and cultivated all arable land. The Aztecs are most often remembered (and vilified) for their bloody religious rituals, which often centered around live human sacrifice. While I agree that human sacrifice is indeed a horrific custom, it must not be condemned out of ignorance, but must be understood within the context of its culture. The Aztecs, much like the Maya, believed that blood was the life-force of the universe; their Deities needed blood, preferably human, to survive. If the Gods and Goddesses died, there would be no rain, no maize crop, and humans too would die. It was a symbiotic relationship. The Aztec were finally overthrown by the Spanish in 1521 CE, who were aided by many of the tribes subjugated by the Aztecs.

Originally home to a diversity of Native American peoples, Central America has since been colonized by Europeans and Africans, each bringing their own culture and religion. Europeans came primarily from Spain, but also the British Isles. Africans came from a host of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, most originating along the western coast of that continent; the majority were imported as slaves. Languages mixed: "bastardized" forms of English, Spanish and French combined with the various Native American and African dialects to produce a variety of tongues, from rhythmic Jamaican English to distinct mountain tongues. Many people are today bilingual or trilingual, speaking English and/or Spanish, and one or two native dialects. Ethnicities intermingled; it is rare to find anyone of purely European or African descent; pure Native American ancestry is more common. Catholicism is officially the dominant faith of the region; in many cases, however, Catholic Saints were simply substituted for native Gods and Goddesses, and traditional practices continued. In more isolated, less developed regions, native religions thrive. The intermixing of the ways and faiths of Native Americans, Europeans and Africans has produced beautiful and, to outsiders, often bizarre faiths and Deities. The most well-known, and least understood, are Santeria and Vodoun (or Voodoo).

Central America is today a region of contrasts. Ethnic rivalries are common in some areas. Political unrest and poverty have produced numerous armed uprisings. Metropolitan Cuidad de Mexico stands in sharp contrast to poverty-stricken Haiti. During the 1970s and 1980s, Central America was one of the battlegrounds of the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union each exploited the region's class and economic conflicts to their own ends. Only now are the terrible Civil Wars ending, the tyrannical regimes falling. Central America is entering what many predict to be an era of peace and prosperity. I hope that is so.