Page "Cihuateteo" Paragraph 1

In Aztec mythology, the Cihuateteo ( " Divine Women ", singular ) were the spirits of human women who died in childbirth ( mociuaquetzque .).

Childbirth was considered a form of battle, and its victims were honored as fallen warriors.

Their physical remains were thought to strengthen soldiers in battle while their spirits became the much-feared Cihuateteo who accompanied the setting sun in the west.

They also haunted crossroads at night, stealing children and causing sicknesses, especially seizures and madness, and seducing men to sexual misbehavior.