Xicalcoliuhqui
Connotations. The word "xicalcoliuhqui" () means "twisted gourd" ("xical"- "gourdbowl" and "coliuhqui" "twisted") in Nahuatl. The motif is associated with many ideas, and is variously thought to depict water, waves, clouds, lightning, a serpent or serpent-deity like the mythological fire or feathered serpents, as well as more philosophical ideas like cyclical movement, or the life-giving connection between the light of the sun and the earth, and it may have been a protection against death, but no single meaning is universally accepted. It is also possible that the motif represents the cut conch shell which is an emblem of  Ehecatl, the wind god, an aspect of Quetzalcoatl. It seems likely that the multivalent nature of the symbol gave rise to its potency and longevity. Xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, the stepped-fret shield. "Xicalcoliuhqui chimalli", are shields featuring a single iteration of the stepped fret motif which were painted or covered with featherwork. They are depicted frequently in the Codex Mendoza, and many other central Mexican codices, usually with the xicalcoliuhqui design shown in yellow and green. Architectural embellishments. The xicalcoliuhqui motif appears in embellishments on temples and other buildings at archaeological sites around Mexico.