Statue of Xochipilli

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The Chalca culture flourished in late classic times, around A.D. 1250-121. Tlamanalco, a city located in the State of Mexico, was one of its prominent settlements. Xochipilli, the Aztec god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, and song, was a central figure in this culture. His name is derived from Nahuatl words: xochitl, meaning "flower," and pilli, which can be translated to either "prince" or "child." Therefore, Xochipilli's name translates to "flower prince." As the patron deity of writing and painting, he was also known as Chicomexochitl, meaning "Seven-flower." Additionally, he could be referred to as Macuilxochitl, which means "Five-flower." In Aztec mythology, Xochipilli's wife is a human girl named Mayahuel, and his twin sister is the goddess Xochiquetzal. As one of the gods responsible for fertility and agricultural produce, he is closely associated with Tlaloc, the god of rain, and Cinteotl, the god of maize. In fact, Xochipilli may be equivalent to the Tonsured Maize God among the Classic Mayas.