Ozomatli (Monkey): Aztec day sign Meaning

Ozomatli, 'monkey', day sign 11 of the Aztec tonalpohualli. Patron: Xochipilli.

Ozomatli, the monkey, is the sign of play, music, dance and art. Its patron is Xochipilli, the 'flower prince', god of song, flowers and pleasure. Those born under it were thought to be charming, artistic and sociable.

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

charming · artistic · sociable · playful · clever · musical

In the Aztec tonalpohualli, a person whose tonalli, or birth sign, is Ozomatli is described as charming, artistic and sociable, a lover of play, music and dance. Ozomatli is the monkey, and the sign's patron is Xochipilli, the 'flower prince', god of song, flowers, art and pleasure.

Modern readings of the sign, following the colonial accounts of Aztec diviners, credit Ozomatli people with wit, creativity, humour, skill with their hands and a gift for entertaining and delighting others; they are said to be well liked and to bring joy wherever they go. Their challenges are said to be frivolity, inconstancy, a love of pleasure that avoids hard work, and a mischievous streak that can cause trouble.

In love Ozomatli people are portrayed as playful, affectionate and romantic; in work, as musicians, dancers, artists, craftspeople and entertainers, or in any role where charm and creativity matter. The tonalpouhque read the monkey sign together with the number of the day and its trecena, so not every Ozomatli birth was judged the same.

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