Temazcalteci is the Aztec Goddess of bathing and medicine. The bathhouse, known in Nahuatl as a temezcal, was a symbol of the womb of the Goddess, and Temazcalteci was also associated with midwives and the herbs used to control women’s reproductive cycles. In one of the Aztec codices, she is depicted as a bathhouse personified. Her name means “grandmother of the steam bath.”

Ituana is the Brazilian Goddess of the afterworld. She lives at the end of the Milky Way, which is seen as the milk from the breasts of this great mother. Ituana looks after the souls of the dead who have passed into the afterworld, sending them back to earth to be born again. Ituana’s name means “mother scorpion.”

Tatei Werika Wimari is the Huichol Goddess of the sky. She is depicted as a two-headed eagle, and it is said that she created the sky so that the Gods could stand upon it and look down to the earth. Her name, which means “Our Mother Eagle Girl,” is also seen as Tatei Werika, Tatei Werika Uimari, or Werika, and her titles include Mother of the Sky and Queen of Heaven.

Omecihuatl (pronounced oh-may-SEE-wah-tl) is the Aztec Goddess of creation. Along with her twin/husband Ometecuhtli, Omecihuatl lived in Omeyocan, the highest of the heavens. There was no light and no stars, but as they walked they could sometimes see the gleam from the eyes of a monster. One day, Omecihuatl reached out to touch one of the monsters, and it turned into a star. She and Ometecuhtli touched all the monsters they could find, filling the sky with stars. With the heavens filled with light, Omecihuatl and Ometecuhtli decided to have children. Their four sons, Quetzalcoatl, Xipetotec, Tezcatlipoca, and Huitzilopochtli, were the first of the Aztec deities. They created the earth from one of the remaining monsters. Omecihuatl and Ometecuhtli were very happy with their sons’ work, and they sent drops of light to the earth to be the souls of children, a practice that they continue to this day. Omecihuatl’s name, which means “Lady of Duality,” is also seen as Omeciuatl.

Xquic (pronounced sh-KEEK) is the Mayan Goddess of the waning moon. She is the daughter of Cuchumaquic, one of the lords of the Underworld, known as Xibalba. The lords of Xibalba had killed Hun Hunahpu, a God of maize, and hung his severed head on a calabash tree. When Xquic went to see the head, it told her to take a fruit from the tree and as she did, it spat on her hand. She then became pregnant with twin sons. When her pregnancy became obvious, she was sent into exile, because she could not name a father. Xquic went to Xmucane, the mother of Hun Hunahpu, and claimed that the babies she was carrying were of her blood. Demanding proof, Xmucane set a test for Xquic—if she could go into the nearby garden and fill a sack with corn, she would be satisfied. When Xquic went to the garden, she found only one stalk of corn, but miraculously, when she pulled kernels from the ear, they regrew, so that she had enough to fill the sack. Xmucane accepted Xquic into her family, and when her two sons were born, she named them Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Xquic’s name means “blood maiden” and is also seen as Ixquic or Xquiq.

Nungui is the Jivaro Goddess of vegetation. The Jivaro of Peru ask Nungui for a good harvest when they plant manioc, her sacred plant. She lives in the forest, and is also called upon to help with garden plots. Her name is also seen as Nungwi and she is called Lady of the Manioc.

Cocamama is the Incan Goddess of the coca plant. She is one of the daughters of Pachamama, the earth mother. She was originally a Goddess of joy and happiness, and she had many lovers. One of her lovers became jealous of the others and cut Cocamama in half. From her body, the first coca plants grew. Men were only allowed to chew the leaves after they had satisfied their women, in honor of Cocamama. Her name, which means “mother of the coca plant,” is also seen as Mamacoca or Cocomama.

Zaramama is the Incan Goddess of grain, especially maize. She is one of the daughters of Pachamama, the earth mother. When someone found an unusually shaped ear of corn, it would be dressed as Zaramama and worshipped. The person who found the corn was said to be lucky—if it was a woman, she would be blessed with many children. Zaramama’s name, which means “grain mother,” is also seen as Mamazara or Saramama.

Today’s Goddess puts my total number of names up to 2500, one-quarter of the way to my goal! Also, you may have noticed that my shopping cart is gone—it blew up last week and I’m hoping it will be back up and running (new and improved!) by the middle of next week.

Chalchiuhtlicue (pronounced chal-chee-OOT-lee-kway) is the Aztec Goddess of all running water, including rain. She also ruled over fertility, as water was known to bring life to plants. She is the wife of the rain God Tlaloc, and rules over Tlalocan at his side. Tlalocan is the fourth layer of the heavens, the place to which those who died from phenomena associated with water, such as drowning, went in the afterlife. One day, Chalchiuhtlicue, looking at the evils in the world, began to cry—her tears streamed across the land as a giant flood to cleanse the world. She created a rainbow bridge to save those who gained her favor.

Chalchiuhtlicue is usually depicted wearing a jade necklace, a crown of feathers, and with a skirt decorated with water lilies. Her name means “she who wears a jade skirt,” and she was also known as Matlalcueitl by the Tlaxcala, which means “she who wears a green skirt”.

Axomama is the Incan Goddess of potatoes. She is one of the daughters of Pachamama, the earth mother. Potatoes formed a vital part of the food supply of the Incan people, and most villages would have a particularly odd-shaped potato to worship and ask for a good harvest. Axomama’s name, which means “potato mother,” is also seen as Acsumama.