The Hungry Woman

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of rape.

The stone image of Coatlicue appears on a semi-dark stage as pre-Columbian Meso-American music plays. The Cihuatateo stand beside the statue. Medea emerges from the statue, dressed only in a black slip with her hair uncombed. She is the “living COATLICUE.” The Cihuatateo dress Medea in an apron and hand her a broom. She begins to sweep. Cihuatateo East tells the story of how Coatlicue, the goddess of Creation and Destruction, became pregnant despite her old age. Coatlicue’s daughter, Coyolxauhqui, learned that her mother would give birth to a boy and accused her mother of betrayal. Luna appears on stage as Coyolxauhqui and Cihuatateo East describes how she will plot to kill her mother. Medea gives birth to Huitzilopotchli, the sun-god, represented by Chac-Mool, dressed in full Aztec clothing. A hummingbird tells Huitzilopotchli about Coyolxauhqui’s plan to kill Coatlicue. Huitzilopotchli battles Coyolxauhqui for dominion over the heavens. Huitzilopotchli cuts off Coyolxauhqui’s head and carves up her body, pronouncing that her “foreign and female” body is hereby exiled into darkness (56). He throws her head up into the night sky, where it becomes the moon.