Cipactli

Cipactli is the primordial sea monster in Aztec creation mythology, a chaotic crocodile-fish-serpent hybrid with mouths at every joint, floating in the void before the world existed. The gods Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl tore Cipactli apart to form the earth and sky, but her insatiable hunger remained, requiring constant sacrifices of hearts and blood to appease her and prevent the world from sinking back into chaos. Cipactli embodies the violent origins of creation and the ongoing need for sacrifice to maintain cosmic order, symbolizing the earth's fertility and its demand for nourishment in Aztec cosmology.