Horoscopes · Systems of many cultures
Aztec (Tonalpohualli) · Aztec day sign 4
Cuetzpalin
Lizard
Cuetzpalin, 'lizard', day sign 4 of the Aztec tonalpohualli. Patron: Huehuecoyotl.
Cuetzpalin, the lizard, is a sign of vitality and resilience — the lizard survives heat and drought and regrows its tail. Its patron is Huehuecoyotl, the 'old coyote', a trickster deity of music, dance and mischief. Those born under it were thought to be hardy and lively.
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
hardy · lively · resilient · adaptable · quick · playful
In the Aztec tonalpohualli, a person whose tonalli, or birth sign, is Cuetzpalin is described as hardy, lively and resilient, like the lizard that survives heat and drought and regrows its lost tail. Its patron is Huehuecoyotl, the 'old coyote', a trickster deity of music, dance and mischief, which lends the sign a playful, irreverent side.
Modern readings of the sign, following the hints of the colonial sources, credit Cuetzpalin people with vitality, quick reflexes, adaptability and the ability to recover from setbacks and to thrive in difficult conditions; they are said to enjoy music, dance and company. Their challenges are said to be restlessness, a tendency to mischief and impulsiveness, and difficulty staying with one task for long.
In love Cuetzpalin people are portrayed as warm, playful and spontaneous; in work, as resourceful survivors suited to physical work, performance and any field that rewards quick adaptation. As with every tonalli, the Aztec diviners combined the sign with the number of the day and its trecena, so a Cuetzpalin birth could be read in many ways.
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