title: Tlazolteotl, the Aztec goddess of epilepsy.
abstract: Epilepsy has afflicted humanity during most of the extent of documented history. The Aztecs believed that illnesses were punishments that were sent from a furious goddess. In particular, epilepsy was considered in Aztec culture as a "sacred disease", and convulsions were traditionally associated with a deified woman who had died at childbirth. As the goddess Shiva and Apasmâra in ancient India and Saint Valentine in Germany, Tlazolteotl was considered able to bring about and send away epilepsy. We performed a comprehensive review to identify Tlazolteotl depictions and its historical context related with epilepsy. Tlazolteotl is one of the most endearing and complex goddesses of the Mesoamericans. She was the deity of the black fertile and fecund earth that gains its energy from death and in turn feeds life. Associated with purification, expiation, and regeneration, she embodied fertility and turned all garbage, physical and metaphysical, into rich life. This article reviews the most relevant artistic works related with Tlazolteotl. We also present a modern depiction of the Aztec goddess of epilepsy from the Mexican artist Eduardo Urbano Merino, displaying the supernatural view of epilepsy in America.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Section, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: Lady Diana
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Ladino
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Electronic address: jftellez@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: José Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Téllez-Zenteno
mesh_terms: D004827:Epilepsy / Q000266:history*; D005260:Female; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012640:Seizures
keywords: Art; Aztecs; History; Mesoamerica; Sacred disease