Who was the Aztec goddess of the moon?

The Aztec goddess of the moon was Coyolxauhqui. Her name is commonly translated as “Painted with Bells,” referring to the bells or bell-like ornaments associated with her face and body.

In Mexica mythology, Coyolxauhqui was the daughter of Coatlicue and the leader of the Centzon Huitznahua, the four hundred star deities. When her mother became mysteriously pregnant with Huitzilopochtli, Coyolxauhqui and her brothers regarded the pregnancy as dishonorable and attacked Coatlicue. Huitzilopochtli emerged fully armed, defeated them, and dismembered Coyolxauhqui.

The myth is often read as a cosmic story: Huitzilopochtli represents the sun, Coyolxauhqui the moon, and her brothers the stars. Some versions say Huitzilopochtli cast her head into the sky, where it became the moon. Scholars caution that surviving sources vary, so the precise astronomical interpretation is not identical in every account.

Her famous circular stone disk was found near the Templo Mayor in Mexico City in 1978. Its dismembered figure and location at the foot of the temple stairs linked the myth to ritual imagery and the ceremonial landscape.