Horoscopes · Systems of many cultures
Aztec (Tonalpohualli) · Aztec day sign 5
Coatl
Serpent
Coatl, 'serpent', day sign 5 of the Aztec tonalpohualli. Patron: Chalchiuhtlicue.
Coatl, the serpent, is associated with the earth, water and fertility. Its patron is Chalchiuhtlicue, 'she of the jade skirt', goddess of rivers, lakes and childbirth. Serpents were central symbols of Mesoamerican religion, and the sign combines power with the cycle of renewal.
The patron deities of the day signs differ between the surviving codices; the list used here follows the Codex Borgia tradition as reconstructed by modern scholars. The tonalpohualli was read by trained diviners together with the number of the day and its trecena, so a sign was never interpreted alone.
Personality
powerful · fertile · renewing · wise · sensual · perceptive
In the Aztec tonalpohualli, a person whose tonalli, or birth sign, is Coatl is described as powerful, perceptive and renewing, carrying the serpent's link with the earth, water and fertility. Its patron is Chalchiuhtlicue, 'she of the jade skirt', goddess of rivers, lakes and childbirth, and serpents were among the central symbols of Mesoamerican religion, from the earth itself to the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl.
Modern readings of the sign credit Coatl people with wisdom, sensuality, depth of feeling and the capacity for renewal, shedding the old like a snake its skin; they are said to be intelligent and persuasive, with a strong vital force. Their challenges are said to be secrecy, jealousy, a tendency to strike when provoked and to cling to what they hold.
In love Coatl people are portrayed as passionate and devoted; in work, as healers, guardians, scholars and people who handle transformation and change. The Aztec day-count diviners read the sign with the number of the day and its trecena, and Coatl days could be fortunate or difficult depending on that combination.
Sources and further reading
- The Aztec Calendar Stone — Khristaan D. Villela and Mary Ellen Miller (eds.), 2010
- Codex Borgia: A Full-Color Restoration of the Ancient Mexican Manuscript — Gisele Díaz and Alan Rodgers, 1993
- The Aztecs — Michael E. Smith, 2012