In Aztec mythology, Chicomecoatl was the goddess of maize and fertility. Every September, she received a sacrifice of young girl, decapitated. The sacrifice's blood was poured on a statue of Chicmecoatl and her skin was worn by a priest. She was thought of as a female counterpart to Centeotl and was also called Xilonen ("the hairy one", which referred to the hairs on unshucked maize), who was married to Tezcatlipoca.
Xilonen in the Aztec cosmovision or philosophy represents the spirit of tender corn similar to corn maiden.
Later at the Xilonen festival, she and about a dozen girls, including girls from Northern tribes who could not fulfill their puberty rites in their homelands, were honored by the community.
Xilonen en el cosmovision azteca o la filosofía mechica representa el espíritu de maíz tierno similar a la doncella de maiz o Corn Maiden entre indigenas del los Estados Unidos.
Xilonen (pronounced she-LOAN-un) is a Nahuatl word meaning tender corn, and is a rite of passage for girls from 12 to 17 years of age.
Keeping the fire burning is considered most important role in the circle, for it is from the fire — popoxocomotl in Nahuatl — that the dancers draw the energy for the dances and the prayers they send.
In the Xilonen year, each girl is required to maintain at least a C average in school, to attend the majority of rehearsals and performances, to lead dances, and to speak in palabra, the sharing circle at the close of rehearsals, and to the public at performances.
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