Tlazōlteōtl
In Aztec mythology, Tlahzolteōtl is a deity of sex, sexuality, lust, carnality, sin, vice, impurity, temptation, fertility, purification, absolution, steam baths, and a patroness of adulterers. She is known by three names, Tlahēlcuāni and Tlazolmiquiztli, and Ixcuina or Ixcuinan, the latter of which refers to a quadripartite association of four sister deities.
Tlazolteōtl is the deity for the 13th trecena of the sacred 260-day calendar Tōnalpōhualli, the one beginning with the day Ce Ōllin, or First Movement. She is associated with the day sign of the jaguar.
Tlazolteōtl played an important role in the confession of wrongdoing through her priests.
Aztec religion
There was a Huastec mother goddess from the Gulf Coast who was assimilated into Aztec views of Tlazōlteōtl.Quadripartite deities
Under the name of Ixcuinan she was thought to be quadrupartite, composed of four sisters of different ages known by the names Tiyacapan, Tēicuih, Tlahco and Xōcotzin. When conceived of as four individual deities, they were called ixcuinammeh or tlazōltēteoh; individually, they were deities of luxury.Sin
Forgiveness of sin
According to Aztec belief, it was Tlazolteōtl who inspired vicious desires and who likewise forgave and cleaned away sin. She was also thought to cause disease, in particular sexually transmitted infections. It was said that Tlazolteōtl and her companions would afflict people with disease if they indulged in forbidden love. The uncleanliness was considered both on a physical and moral level. It could be cured by a steam bath, a rite of purification, or calling upon the Tlazoltēteoh, the deities of love and desires.Purification
For the Aztecs, there were two main deities thought to preside over purification: Tezcatlipoca, because he was thought to be invisible and omnipresent, therefore seeing everything; and Tlazolteōtl, the deity of lechery and unlawful love. It is said that when a man confessed before Tlazolteōtl everything was revealed. Purification with Tlazolteōtl would be done through a priest. One could only receive the "mercy" once in their life, which is why the practice was most common among the elderly.The priest would be consulted by the penitent and would consult the 260-day ritual calendar to determine the best day and time for the purification to take place. On that day, he would listen to the sins confessed and then render judgment and penance, ranging from fasts to presentation of offerings and ritual song and dance, depending on the nature and the severity of the sin.