Tonalli and a side of pastel pa' Rosa

Octavio Ocampo, "Skull", 1991

I’ve been pondering what to explore next, at least in this oh-so-public way, and the interest in La Muerte seems quite strong, so I will focus on her once again. It is also appropriate because it is the birthday of one of my primary teachers about La Muerte, Doña Rosa Rodriguez, who is now, to me, one of the powerful dead- los poderosos-  and one whose wisdom, counsel, and patience I still seek. She expanded my understanding of la Muerte in ways I am still exploring. For this, but mostly for her friendship and generous spirit, I will always cherish her.

The Mexica, and other Nahuatl speakers, told of three essences that bind man together: tonalli, teyolia, and ihiyotl (often called ihiyote). The interaction of these three forces, and their associated deified elements, constitutes the soul construct of a person. For Doña Rosa, whom I studied with for close to six years, the healing and balancing of these three centers, both in herself, and in her clients, was her life’s work as a curandera. 


One of the arguments for a three colored La Muerte is precisely these concepts: tonalli, destiny, resides in the head, and is the province of La Nina Blanca; teyolia, the thoughts and feelings of a person, resides in the heart and is the province of La Roja; and ihiyotl, the life force, resides in the liver, and is very much the province of La Negra. These relationships also reveal much about the personalities and styles of workings that each color Muerte brings to the table. Works of coolness, understanding of fate, and guidance, we turn to la Blanca. Works of passion, for love and desire, for wealth and pleasure, we turn to the sanguine workings of La Roja. Works involving the manipulation of the life force itself, for protection, for cursing, for works of decay- we turn to La Negra. Now to say that each La Muerte governs a ‘soul’ does not mean only La Muerte governs these souls- there are many teteo and santos that are related to the different centers- but for her followers it is her role that is studied and examined first and foremost.  These correspondences deserve a much greater examination at greater length than this brief explanation.

Tonalli is the heat (tona) kept within us, retained from the Sun. It is found in the crown of the head, and is our link to the life-giving force of the Sun. It is the order of the cosmos reflected in man and woman, our place in the Universe. It is most often paired with nahualli, which is feminine to tonalli’s masculine.

What always struck me about the concept of tonalli was its similarity to the concept of ori in Yoruba religion and its permutations worldwide. The connection to the head, and to destiny, our capacty for greatness and for failure. And while the emphasis on ‘heat‘ in Mexica thought seems antithetical to the important concept of ‘coolness‘ in Yoruba thought, they are not so different as might be expected at first glance.

Because tonalli is heavily evidenced by the date of one’s birth,  if one was born on an ‘unfavorable‘ day, or even a ‘neutral‘ day for noble classes, it is said they would name the infant on a different day, one with a ‘better’ destiny.  The calendar name is a way of guiding the destiny of the child in tune with its natural ingress into the world of the living, as evidenced by the date of its birth, linking the child with its tonalli and enforcing the development of the nahualli. The nahualli is directly related, some would say even symbolized by, the calendar name, specifically the day sign. Each day, and therefore each tonalli has patron deities (singular: teotl, plural: teteo) ascribed to it, and each teotl can be worked with to help guide the child under their natural affiliation. When ‘re-naming’ a child, the teteo of a more ‘favored’ day could be petitioned to influence the child. When I asked Rosa how she felt about this, she told me that prayer is always good, but that the desire to drink and drinking itself are two different things. Predisposition to anything and succumbing to it are different.

Knowledge of the inclination is viewed as a good thing. Sure, work with spirits that will help guide you- but always remember who is in charge. Death may come for us, but she doesn’t make our decisions. That decision is already made- you will meed her one day- but the rest you have a choice about!

What’s interesting too, is that these 20 day names were also used in divination to answer general questions, exploring the tonalli of a person, usually for health reasons. Doña Rosa used a system taught to her by one of her mentors, a method of using motl (corn) to work with la Muerte on several occasions, to examine a client’s soul-destiny balance. Prayers to First Grandfather and First Grandmother, to Grandfather Fire, to Father Sun and Mother Earth, and to her patron teteo, saints and angels, and to the those of the client-known and unknown, mixing mixteca, nahuatl, and Catholic allies within a single devoted breath. While the system itself could be new (there are many versions of corn divination)- it is said the the older forms of corn divination always dealt with the day signs. There was certainly a genuine feeling of connection when she used corn- and, at the same time, I will recognize that Rosa’s charisma was palpable- but either way- the readings were informative and revelatory for her work with clients.

While the day signs themselves give guidance and insight, their importance in the tonalpohualli (calendar of destiny, the ritual divinatory calendar of the Mexica, and based upon the Mayan tzolk’in) is always further elucidated by the number that precedes it, always one through thirteen. This makes 260 possible combination. These are complex interactions, where each number is also governed by specific teotl or teteo and the number and the day sign influence each other, as well as the trecena and year- for a better understanding, I recommend visiting Introduction to the Aztec Calendar, an excellent and comprehensive resource for anything pertaining to the tonalpohualli.

Of strong import is the relationship of the death lords to the number 6 and the tenth day sign, Itzcuilntli- Dog. And while they don’t ‘own’ the sixth sign, Miquiztli-Death, their presence is felt there as well, as Miquiztli is connected to the Moon, this time as Tecciztecatl, although shades of Coyolxauqhui are there too.

 Considering one of the primary offerings to La Muerte is six white flowers at a cemetery gate (a number owned by the Lords of Mictlan), these relationships should perhaps be examined more fully and these traditional associations not dismissed solely as European influences on the cult, or only through a European lens.

Also of note is the emphasized relationship between Death and Dog. Always and ever, our Death lies beyond the reach of our left hand, and our friendly canine guide, our devoted companion through the realms of Micltan, always beyond the reach of our right.  Also important should be the examination of the relationship of the sign Ollin-Movement (and the sign that gives name to the Fifth Sun) to Xolotl himself, the canine 'twin' and companion of Quetzalcoatl. (Recall that La Muerte is considered the cuate of la Guadalupana...)

These interactions are huge- and I was always surprised by Rosa’s intimate knowledge of how they played in daily life. While she adhered to the common day count (as there are many versions of which count we’re on, divergently used by divergent people), she also saw the interactions of the day signs in daily life. It was this intimacy that made her formidable with readings and understanding of tonalli.

Doña Rosa Rodriguez, Matlaktliomei Mikitzli, on this day, Chikunawi Mikitzli, I bow my head to you, I look away out of respect. You were an amazing woman, and are an inspiration, always. For you I awoke singing ‘Las Mañanitas’ in your honor. ¡ Feliz Cumpleaños, Doña !