Anchestor Legends: Cuerauáperi of the Purepecha People
The mother goddess of the Purépecha people, Cuerauáperi embodies the moon and symbolizes the duality of life and death. The goddess is considered responsible for sending the clouds to bring rain, but she is also attributed to famines and droughts.
Have you ever wondered about the mythical origin of the Purepecha people? It is said that before humans existed there was a Goddess called Cuerauáperi (mother and father of all earthly gods), she is also considered the mother of all men and represents the duality between life and death.
Many men tell that they were visited by Cuerauáperi herself. She was a woman who wore bells on her legs, and on her head, a garland of clover with a bird; others say that she appeared as if she were an old woman and many more say that she appears to be a pregnant woman, therefore she is considered as "The Goddess of fertility".
Cuerauáperi is also the wife of Curicaueri (God of fire and war). She gave birth to four daughters called "Clouds": Red Cloud, Black Cloud, White Cloud and Yellow Cloud.
Cuerauáperi, who was in charge of giving fruits and life, sent her daughters to the four cardinal points so that they would water the earth. But when she did not send her clouds, the regions suffered from a great drought. So the inhabitants thought that Cuerauáperi was angry with them.
And to avoid her anger, the Purépecha paid tribute to her by making human sacrifices. Some people say that the Goddess herself would choose the men to be sacrificed, getting into their bodies, and later they would give them blood to drink since it was the main food of the Goddess. This event allowed people to have a greater communication or rapprochement with Cuerauáperi.
Source: INPI
