Editing Ītzpāpālōtl (section)

==Ritual==

Itzpapalotl is the patron of the day and associated with the stars Cozcuauhtli and [[Trecena]] 1 House in the Aztec calendar. The Trecena 1 House is one of the five western trecena dates dedicated to the [[cihuateteo]], or women who had died in childbirth. Not only was Itzpapalotl considered one of the [[cihuateteo]] herself, but she was also one of the tzitzimime, star demons that threatened to devour people during solar eclipses.{{sfn|Miller|Taube|1993|p=100}}

One of the prominent aspects of the ritual surrounding Itzpapalotl relates to the creation story of the [[Chichimeca|Chichimec]]. The ritual is illustrated in the sixteenth century document known as the Map of Cuauhtinchan No. 2.<ref>{{Cite book|title=In the maw of the each monster: mesoAmerican ritual cave use|last=Brady|first=James E.|publisher=University of Texas Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-292-70586-9|editor-last=Keith M. Prufer|location=Austin, TX|pages=69–87}}</ref>  An illustration from this document shows Chichimec warriors emerging out of a seven-chambered cave behind Itzpapalotl. The deity is shown brandishing a severed leg, thought to be a symbol of battle. Beginning in the 1990s, archeologists exploring the  Barranca Del Aguila region, southwest of Mexico City, have discovered caves carved to simulate the seven chambered cave, known as [[Chicomoztoc]], from the ritual creation narrative.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gidwitz |first1=Tom |title=Map Quest |journal=Archaeology Magazine |date=2009 |volume=62 |issue=2 |url=https://archive.archaeology.org/0903/abstracts/cuauhtinchan.html }}</ref>