Which Aztec goddess was the deity of love, flowers, and beauty?

Which Aztec goddess was the deity of love, flowers, and beauty? The answer is Xochiquetzal.

Xochiquetzal was a youthful goddess associated with beauty, love, flowers, fertility, and sexual desire. Her name comes from Classical Nahuatl elements meaning “flower” and “precious feather” or “quetzal feather,” imagery that suits her connection with luxury, adornment, and attractiveness.

She was also linked with young mothers, pregnancy, childbirth, weaving, embroidery, and other crafts practiced by women. Unlike agricultural deities whose roles centered primarily on crops or earth fertility, Xochiquetzal represented a more glamorous and sensual aspect of fertility and human pleasure. Some traditions describe her as connected with Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca, Cinteotl, or Xiuhtecuhtli.

She is easy to confuse with other prominent goddesses. Chicomecoatl was strongly associated with maize and sustenance, Chalchiuhtlicue with water, and Coyolxauhqui with the moon and a famous myth involving Huitzilopochtli. Xochiquetzal’s distinctive sphere is beauty, love, flowers, and women’s crafts.