The Avanyu is a Tewa deity, the one who brings rain for the crops of Spring and Summer. Often called the Water Serpent, the Avanyu has occupied a central place of  importance with the cultures and spiritual life of the Pueblo peoples along the Rio Grande in the American Southwest. Combining realistic imagery and spiritual meaning,  the Avanyu represents rain, clouds, thunder and lightning along with the life-giving return of the crops in Spring.  When the clouds return each Spring, the people see the Avanyu in every cloud, in every burst of lightning, and the very sound of thunder.  When the rain flows, the people know that the Avanyu has returned to bless them with water for the life-giving crops.