Tlazolteotl: Goddess of Filth and Purification

Chthonia

This week’s subject is Tlazolteotl, the Aztec goddess of filth, lust, and patroness of adulterers. Tlazolteotl is both the disease and the cure, being a goddess of debauchery, but also the one who can purify you from debauchery. We look at the idea of “Holy S**t”, how excrement was viewed as a divine and healing substance, and how this idea compares in other cultures. We also discuss how “filth” ends up being connected with the Feminine, and how this can affect our ideas abuot sex and sensual pleasure.