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The Teotihuacan Spider Woman was a goddess of the Pre-Columbian Teotihuacan civilization, in what is now Mexico. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Teotihuacan was the largest Pre-Columbian known city in the Americas, and the name Teotihuacan is used to refer to the civilization this city dominated, which at its greatest extent included most of Mesoamerica. ...
Discovery
In 1942, an series of murals was found in the Tepantitla compound in Teotihuacan. While many of these murals simply depicted scenes of everyday life in ancient Teotihuacan and some simple Mesoamerican figures, a few contained paintings of a previously-unknown deity. To this day, no one has found any evidence of her name. Although often referred to as the "great goddess", Karl Taube christened her the "Teotihuacan Spider Woman" in an article in the 1983 edition of The Journal of Latin American Lore. Salle des illustres, ceiling painting, by Jean André Rixens. ...
Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before the European discovery of the New World by Columbus. ...
Karl Andreas Taube is an American Mayanist, anthropologist, epigrapher and ethnohistorian, known for his publications and research into the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica and the American Southwest. ...
The Tepantitla compound was a kind of apartment complex for what appears to have been high status citizens. The walls are adorned with brightly painted frescoes.
There are two nearly identical murals at this site, separated by a doorway, that illustrate the Spider Woman. In them, she stands with outstretched arms between two smaller female attendants and in front of two tall, interwoven vines filled with both spiders and butterflies. At her base is a mirror bowl spilling what appears to be a mixture of water and seeds. These murals were painted in vibrant colors and have been relatively well preserved.
Due to the highly stylized quality of Mesoamerican art and often to its poor preservation, it can be difficult to determine the gender of a painted or sculpted figure. Also, the ancient people of these areas wore heavily layered clothing that often added to the confusion. This being the case, archaeologist Alfonso Caso mistakenly identified the central figure in the Tepantitla murals as Tlaloc, the Mesoamerican god of rain and warfare. Several decades passed before this mistake was caught. Further examination eventually revealed that the wardrobe worn by the two female attendants was also visible on the main figure. This belated discovery finally established the Spider Woman’s femininity. The cultural areas of Mesoamerica Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Spanish: Mesoamérica) was a geographical culture area extending from central Honduras and northwestern Costa Rica on the south, and, in Mexico, from the Soto la Marina River in Tamaulipas and the Rio Fuerte in Sinaloa on the north. ...
Alfonso Caso y Andrade (Mexico City, 1896 -- Mexico City 30th november, 1970)was one of big props of the so called Mexican archaeology gold period. Between his discoveries are the prehispanic city of Monte Albán (which is now visited by lots of tourists and archaeologists), the famous Tomb Seven...
Tláloc, as shown in the late 16th century Codex Rios. ...
The Teotihuacan Spider Woman has since been found at several other sites, sometimes in murals, and sometimes in sculpture or figure form.
Description Her most obvious trait is simply the fact that she is female, but she does have several other recognizable qualities to help archaeologists identify her. The great goddess wears a frame headdress that often includes the face of a jaguar and has a medallion in the center on which an owl is usually depicted. She will also be shown among several spiders and is frequently seen with a yellow body coloration, further distinguishing her from other Mesoamerican deities. Her single most recognizable feature, however, is a very distinguishable nosepiece. This bar is large enough to conceal her whole mouth, and is equipped with what appears to be arachnid-like fangs. The rectangle-shaped bar hangs from directly under her nose and usually has three circles on it. Immediately below these circles hang three fangs. The two outer fangs curl to point away from the center, while the middle fang just comes straight down looking like the letter U. The overall affect, then, is an otherwise plain Mesoamerican goddess with a frighteningly spider-like appearance. For other uses, see Jaguar (disambiguation). ...
Families Strigidae Tytonidae Ogygoptyngidae (fossil) Palaeoglaucidae (fossil) Protostrigidae (fossil) Sophiornithidae (fossil) Synonyms Strigidae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist Owls are solitary and nocturnal birds of prey. ...
Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae See table of families Closeup image of a Wolf Spider Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals that have two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ...
Domain This Spider Woman is now thought to have been a goddess of the underworld, darkness, the earth, water, war, and possibly even creation itself. To the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica, the jaguar, the owl, and especially the spider were considered creatures of darkness, often found in caves and during the night. The fact that the Teotihuacan Spider Woman is frequently depicted with all of these creatures further supports the idea of her underworld connections.
As mentioned above, the "great goddess" is connected to darkness and caves, water, and war. One reason to accept these associations is simply because of the jaguar commonly found in her headdress. The jaguar was arguably the most important animal to the Mesoamericans when it came to mythology. The fact, then, that the Spider Woman was associated with the jaguar suggests her greatness. The largest species of cat in the new world, the jaguar can be active at any time during the day, but is most often seen on the prowl at night, and especially at dusk or dawn. It is no wonder, then, that these ancient people related the big cats to darkness, for they are truly the rulers of the night. Jaguars are also surprisingly good swimmers and are often found near ponds and small lakes, providing the idea that the “great goddess” is also related to water. It was also very common amongst the ancient Mesoamericans to associate jaguars with warfare. This is probably the most obvious symbolism suggested for the big cats, provided their predatory nature, mighty jaws, powerful musculature, and huge claws.
The other animal commonly seen in the goddess's headdress is the owl, providing another reason the Spider Woman is thought to have been a goddess of darkness. The owl is one of the most recognizable nocturnal creatures, and was believed to be a messenger for the lords of the underworld. Burrowing owls were also common in the area, living in old prairie dog burrows and other holes in the ground, further suggesting their relationship to caves and the underworld. In numerous cultures throughout the world, the owl is a symbol of darkness, evil, sorcery, and death, but also revered as magical and wise. To also have been associated with this bird of the night, the Teotihuacan Spider Woman must have indeed been related to the underworld.
The great goddess is mostly recognized because of her unusual relationship with spiders. In many murals, the Spider Woman is shown with many of the scurrying arachnids in the background, on her clothing, or hanging from her arms. She is often seen with shields decorated with spider webs, further suggesting her relationship with warfare. Then, of course, is the remarkable nosepiece for which the Teotihuacan Spider Woman is most known. This nosepiece is the single most recognizable adornment of the deity, finalizing her transformation into the arachnid-like goddess.
Similar deities Interestingly enough, the Spider Woman is not exclusively found in Mesoamerica. Some American Indians in what is now the United States, such as the Pueblo and Navajo worshiped a very similar deity. Referred to as the "Spider Grandmother", she shares many traits with the Teotihuacan Spider Woman. Although the idea of this deity originating in Mesoamerica is highly accepted, no one is really sure which culture she initially came from, or how exactly she was passed from one to the other. A Sioux in traditional dress including war bonnet, circa 1908. ...
Pueblos are traditional communities of aboriginal Americans in the southwestern United States of America. ...
Navajo sandpainting The Navajo Nation (Dineé in Navajo language) is a Native American sovereignty. ...
In native american religions and myths, Spider Grandmother is creator of the world. ...
See also This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
In the fictional world of Middle-earth, Ungoliant was an evil spirit in the form of a spider who dwelt in Avathar in the First Age. ...
Shelob is a character from J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional works of Middle-earth. ...
Lolth, as shown on the cover of the Queen of the Demonweb Pits module. ...
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