Ancient Echoes of the Goddess Ixchel: The Goddess of the Moon, Fertility, and Healing.

When the conquistador Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba landed in the New World he visited a small island about 5 miles long and about a half a mile wide off of what would become Mexico. Not knowing what he would find at the beginning of his venture onto the small island, soon he was met with a small temple covered with various goddess figurines. He had just journeyed to the ancient Maya province of Ekab, the island of women or Isla Mujeres, dedicated to IxChel, the goddess of fertility, healing, the moon, motherhood and much more.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, it was tradition for a Mayan girl and young women to traverse across their homeland to make their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of IxChel either on the island of Cozumel or Ekab (or the island of women). Once they reached the ports of Xaman Há (today’s Playa del Carmen) and P’olé (today’s Xcaret) they rested and were spiritually cleansed in the temazcal (sweat bath) by the priests, called Ah Men (He Who Knows). From there the pilgrims hired professional oarsmen to take them on a sacred canoe crossing to the island; a crossing that is re-enacted from Xcaret every year. They were accompanied by men (brothers, fathers, husbands to be.) Mayan girls would journey here to pay homage, seeking the guidance of Ixchel to gracefully transition into a new phase of both physical and spiritual maturity, a rite of passage marking their journey from childhood to adulthood. It is said that women pilgrimaged twice in a lifetime, at the onset and cessation of their moon flows.

Young girls would have come here at the age of 12, just before their first period, so they could give their first blood to the goddess. They would collect their blood on paper (which the Maya made from the bark of the wild fig tree), then set it on fire under the ceiba, the sacred tree of life, as their offering. At the other end of the spectrum, women would pilgrimage for the second time after they conceived children, to express their gratitude.

Young Maya women would encounter the oracle of IxChel on the island who would hide inside a large ceramic sculpture and speak to the pilgrims on her behalf. The priestesses also healed infertility (mainly with herbs) and taught sexual techniques to the women. The priestesses of Cozumel also sheltered infertile women (discarded by their husbands) and orphans (otherwise heading for human sacrifice).

When the Spanish landed in the new world, there were about 40,000 inhabitants present on the island of Cozumel, most of which were wiped out from smallpox and syphilis brought by the Spaniards. Along with the decimation of their culture was the decimation of their stories. Spanish conquistadors and missionaries burned many Maya books and manuscripts upon their arrival in the Americas. This was part of a broader effort to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity and to suppress their pre-Columbian religious and cultural practices. The Spanish, particularly the early missionaries, saw the Maya codices (folded bark books) and other artifacts as symbols of paganism and idolatry. They believed these documents contained heretical knowledge that needed to be eradicated to make way for Christianity. The destruction of these codices resulted in a significant loss of Maya knowledge, including their history, astronomy, and religious practices.

Fortunately all was not lost. The Dresden Codex is a Mayan manuscript created around 1200–1250 and is the oldest and best preserved pre-Columbian Maya books to survive the Spanish conquest and the subsequent destruction of Maya manuscripts. The codex contains detailed astronomical tables, including information on lunar and solar cycles. It includes predictions of lunar eclipses, Venus cycles, and other celestial events, reflecting the Maya’s advanced knowledge of astronomy. The manuscript also includes depictions of Maya gods, ritual practices, and mythological themes. It provides insights into the religious and ceremonial life of the Maya. It features both text and intricate illustrations, including depictions of deities, mythological scenes, and astronomical phenomena.

In the Dresden codex we find Goddess Ixchel. Goddess Ixchel was revered as the Lady of the Rainbow for the Maya people. She was tied to gestation, textiles, the sentiment of desire, and was considered the goddess of the Moon. She was not only in charge of fertility but also sent rain to nourish the crops. Her presence was felt in every sunrise, every harvest, and every lunar phase. As the moon goddess, she was believed to wield influence over the cycles of life and the forces of nature and her essence permeated the very fabric of Maya life.

Ixchel is a multifaceted goddess and similar to other goddesses she too was revered as a triple goddess, or maiden, mother, crone as she is referenced in three different phases and identities that merged into one.

As the maiden, Ixchel is depicted with a snake headdress, reflecting her powers of healing, medicine, and midwifery. Ixchel in this stage was prayed to for assistance with fertility and she was recognized as being responsible for the development of the fetus and sex of the baby.

As the mother, Ixchel is known as Lady Earth. In this phase her headdress changes and contains items associated with weaving and the dry seasons. She is a wife and mother and tends to the important duties as such which include weaving, healing others, and the harvest. It is also during this phase that she is known as the goddess of desire. As the mother, Ixchel has multiple lovers and is involved in several sexual unions with various romantic partners. Her first partner is Voltan, the Earth god, but quickly moves on to Itzamna, the Moon God, and the founder of Maya culture. Ixchel bears him four sons (or 13) depending on the source. Her sons become known as the Bacabs.The Bacabs are considered to be four deities associated with the cardinal directions, and they play a key role in the creation and maintenance of the world. Each Bacab is connected to a specific direction and is often depicted with associated colors and symbols, representing various aspects of nature and cosmology.

Ixchel has further relations with the Sun God, Kinich Ahau who had no desire for her. According to her mythology, Ixchel pursues the Sun god and longs for him, but he refuses to acknowledge her longing. As Ixchel moped around, and the more she followed him, the worse the earth became. It caused the tides to rise and floods to destroy crops. Soon she shifted her attention to her weaving after realizing she could not capture the Sun God’s attention. Once Kinich Ahau saw her woven textiles, he fell in love with Ixchel and the two soon became lovers.

Unhappy with the union, Ixchel’s grandfather struck her lightning and killed her. It took weeks for hundreds of dragonflies to revive Ixchel using their lifeforce; once revived, Ixchel returned to her husband.

As the Crone, Ixchel reverts back to her headdress as the maiden which includes the snake, which now represent both life-giving and destructive powers. As the crone, she assists the sick and dying and “it is said [she] absorbs the bodies of the deceased into her physical form, the earth.” As the crone, she is now depicted with sharp claws on her hands and feet and with a skirt full of cross bones and she holds a large earthen vessel.

Today, some Maya and other people continue to visit Cozumel as part of spiritual or religious observances related to Ixchel. These modern pilgrimages may include rituals, offerings, or prayers at sacred sites associated with the goddess.

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