Exploring Malinalli: The 12th Sacred Day in Aztec Culture
Table of Contents
Malinalli, the Nauhatl word for ‘grass’, is the 12th sacred day in the Aztec calendar (the tonalpohualli). Associated with the god Patecatl, Malinalli is a good day for forging alliances and a bad day for oppression.
What is Malinalli?
The religious Aztec calendar consisted of 260 days, divided into units called ‘trecenas’. There were 20 trecenas, each consisting of 13 days, represented by a different symbol and associated with a deity who governed the day and provided its ‘tonalli’¸or life energy.
Malinalli, meaning ‘grass’, is the first day of the 12th trecena in the sacred calendar, associated with rejuvenation and tenacity. Also known as ‘Eb’ in Maya, it’s considered a good day for persevering and creating alliances, but a bad day for being oppressive.
The Governing Deities of Malinalli
The 12th day of the Aztec calendar is said to be governed by Patecatl, the Mesoamerican god of fertility and healing.
It was Patecatl who discovered peyote, a spineless cactus, that he gifted to humankind. This plant was used by the Mesoamericans to make an alcoholic beverage known as ‘pulque’ and due to this, Patecatl was called ‘the god of pulque’.
According to some sources, Patecatl was also responsible for governing Ozomahtli, the first day of the 11th trecena.
