11 - Tozoztontli

Tozoztontli, “the Small Vigil,” is the first of two metztli devoted to the Lords of Maize. During Tozoztontli the fields are prepared for the coming of the rains of Xopan, and prayers are offered to Xilonen, Chicomecoatl, and Centeotl, the Lords of Maize. We ask Them to return to us, to paint the fields green, and to give us Their treasure of life and corn. We offer prayers to Tlaloc and the Tlaloqueh, for during Tozoztontli They begin to awaken from Their slumber, and give us Their waters once more. And finally, we give honor to Coatlicue, Our Mother the Earth, for it is from Her body that the Lords of Maize will grow.  

The Ceremonies of Tozoztontli

In the corn-field or garden where the corn is raised, a small pile of stones is made and adorned with paper flags, and spattered with liquid rubber or ink, over which pulque or tequila is poured and to which flowers and food are offered, for they are the bones of Our Mother the Earth, and are symbolically the seeds from which the maize will grow. Strings are tied between the trees which surround the field, from which are hung paper flags, clay medallions of corn, flowers, and beneficial insects like bees, or images of Tlaloc and the Tlaloqueh and the Lords of Maize. The fields are blessed with the smoke of copal and the ringing of conch shells. All of these things prepare the field for the coming of the rain, and for the corn and other things raised in the fields to flourish. Flowers and dried maize plants from last year’s harvest are brought back to the home, and decorate the altar, and snakes are cooked and left upon the alter, and later eaten, as an offering to Coatlicue, She of the Skirt of Serpents, who is the Earth.  

Most of the ceremonies and activities of Tozoztontli take place in the field or garden where the maize plant is grown. For those of us who live in urban environments, far from the places where the Lords of Corn grow, the ceremonies might take place in a park or other outdoor location, for although we are far from the natural processes of the growth of maize, we still depend upon the corn to feed and sustain us, and we still owe the Lords of Maize our gratitude, and must pay our debt. The ceremonies will no longer serve to bless the fields where the corn is grown, and thus help to insure a successful harvest, but they will help us to give praise and thanks to the corn for Their gift of life to us, and allow us to align our hearts with Them and with Our Mother the Earth. Therefore build your altar to the Teteo honored during Tozoztontli, and pile it high with dried ears of corn. Cook dishes with corn, and bless them with the smoke of copal before you eat them, and hang the strings hung with paper flags and clay and paper images from a tree in your garden or the park, or around the room where you will celebrate the ceremonies. With your family and friends, give thanks to the Lords of Maize, for They are soon to be born, soon to grow, and soon to die, for our sake and the sake of all humanity. 

11 - Tozoztontli - La Pequeña Vigilia - 22 de abril al 11 de mayo, 2023

Tozoztontli, la Pequeña Vigilia, es la primera de dos metztin dedicadas a los Señores y las Señoras del Maíz. En Tozoztontli los campos se preparan para la llegada de las lluvias, motivo por el que se ofrendan oraciones y cantos a Xilonen, a Chicomecóatl y a Centéotl. Les pedimos que regresen, que reverdezcan los campos y que nos den el tesoro de la vida y el tesoro del maíz. Tláloc  y los Tlaloqueh reciben oraciones, pues en esta veintena se despiertan, regresan a la vida y traen sobre la Tierra las aguas celestes. Otra deidad venerada en esta veintena es Coatlicue, Nuestra Madre Tierra, de cuyo cuerpo surgirán los brotes del maíz.

Ceremonias de Tozoztontli

En un huerto o  jardín, de preferencia donde crezca el maíz, se apilan piedras y se les adorna con banderas de papel manchadas con chapopote o tinta negra con pulque u otra bebida derivada del maguey. Puesto que representan los huesos de Nuestra Madre Tierra, así como las semillas de las que crecerá el maíz, se ofrendan flores y se les presenta comida. 

In the corn-field or garden where the corn is raised, a small pile of stones is made and adorned with paper flags, and spattered with liquid rubber or ink, over which pulque or tequila is poured and to which flowers and food are offered, for they are the bones of Our Mother the Earth, and are symbolically the seeds from which the maize will grow. Strings are tied between the trees which surround the field, from which are hung paper flags, clay medallions of corn, flowers, and beneficial insects like bees, or images of Tlaloc and the Tlaloqueh and the Lords of Maize. The fields are blessed with the smoke of copal and the ringing of conch shells. All of these things prepare the field for the coming of the rain, and for the corn and other things raised in the fields to flourish. Flowers and dried maize plants from last year’s harvest are brought back to the home, and decorate the altar, and snakes are cooked and left upon the alter, and later eaten, as an offering to Coatlicue, She of the Skirt of Serpents, who is the Earth.  

Most of the ceremonies and activities of Tozoztontli take place in the field or garden where the maize plant is grown. For those of us who live in urban environments, far from the places where the Lords of Corn grow, the ceremonies might take place in a park or other outdoor location, for although we are far from the natural processes of the growth of maize, we still depend upon the corn to feed and sustain us, and we still owe the Lords of Maize our gratitude, and must pay our debt. The ceremonies will no longer serve to bless the fields where the corn is grown, and thus help to insure a successful harvest, but they will help us to give praise and thanks to the corn for Their gift of life to us, and allow us to align our hearts with Them and with Our Mother the Earth. Therefore build your altar to the Teteo honored during Tozoztontli, and pile it high with dried ears of corn. Cook dishes with corn, and bless them with the smoke of copal before you eat them, and hang the strings hung with paper flags and clay and paper images from a tree in your garden or the park, or around the room where you will celebrate the ceremonies. With your family and friends, give thanks to the Lords of Maize, for They are soon to be born, soon to grow, and soon to die, for our sake and the sake of all humanity.