Cihuateteo

This model is based on a sculpture of a Cihuateteo belonging to the Mexica culture and discovered in Mexico City. The figure dates from between 1250 and 1521 CE and is made of basalt. The original is housed in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City and was loaned in 2026 for a temporary exhibition at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid. In the tradition of the Mexica Empire, the Cihuateteo were the spirits of women who died during childbirth, considered a heroic form of death. Like fallen warriors, they were believed to accompany the sun for part of its journey across the sky. However, their appearance was unsettling. In sculptures and codices found in Tenochtitlan, they are depicted with skeletal or corpse-like faces, open mouths showing their teeth, claw-like hands, and sometimes in rigid or aggressive postures. Their image blends human and spectral traits, emphasizing their ambiguous nature: they were honorable figures, yet also feared, associated with the night, crossroads, and supernatural dangers. This model was photogrammetrically captured by Artmonite during a visit to Madrid in 2026.

More pre-Columbian sculptures in Artmonite: https://artmonite.com/product-category/arte-del-mundo/escultura-precolombina/

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