Coalicue was the Aztec equivalient of mother nature. She was called both Mother Earth and Earth Mother. She is the wife of Mixcoatl, the cloud serpent and god of the chase. Her name means "serpent skirt". She is the mother of Huitzilopochtli, and the world was made from her body.
The statue in the picture is one of the most fearsome of any Aztec god, which suits Coatlicue, as she was one of the most fearsome deities. Her garment is made from rattlesankes, and her head is two facing rattlesnakes. The rattlesnakes are a symbol of Coatlicue because the earth shelters the rattlesnakes. Her hands and feet are clawlike, symbolizing the digging of graves. Around her neck is a garland, and the neck itself is shown as a "Cuauhxicalli", or eagle vase, used for holding the hearts of human sacrifices, for she was a goddess who demanded sacrifices. Over her chest is hearts and hands, also symbolizing human sacrifice. Lastly, the human skull represents man's eventual return to earth.
Coatlicue was a particularly demanding goddess, and much of the human sacrifices the Aztecs performed were done in her honor. She was sated only by flesh and blood, and the 'flower wars' fought by the Aztecs ensured that she and the other deities had ample victims.
According to myth, one day, Coatlicue was busy sweeping when a feathery ball fell near her. She tucked it into the top of her dress and later found that she was with child. Although the story is more complicated, that is how she gave birth to Huitzilopochtli (see Huitzilopochtli)
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