Serpent Mask said to be Tlaloc - the Aztec God of Rain

Intertwined looped serpents

This mask is believed to represent Quetzalcoatl or the Rain God Tlaloc; both are associated with serpents. The mask is formed of two intertwined and looped serpents worked in contrasting colors of turquoise mosaic; one in green and one in blue that twist across the face and around the eyes, blending over the nose. Turquoise mosaic feathers hang on both sides of the eye sockets. The mask is made of “Cedro” wood (Cedrela odorata) with pine resin adhesive. The teeth are made of conch (Strombus) shell and the resin adhesive in the mouth is colored red with hematite. The rattles of the serpent tails were originally gilded. They are molded from a mixture of beeswax and pine resin; the same resin mixture coats the interior surface of the mask.

The Spanish friar Bernardino de Sahagún, writing in the sixteenth century, describes a mask like this one. It was a gift of the Aztec emperor Motecuhzoma II to the Spanish captain Hernán Cortés (1485-1547). The Aztec ruler thought that Cortés was the god Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent) returning from the East. This mask was part of the adornments associated with this god. According to Sahagún’s description, it was worn with a crown of beautiful long greenish-blue iridescent feathers, probably those of the quetzal (a bird that lives in the tropical rain forest).

Tlaloc?

The goggled-eyed effect created by the twining serpents is typical of Tlaloc. The mask has also been associated with the feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl, mainly because of the plumes that hang down from the tails of the two serpents. Two serpents of blue and green turquoise mosaic entwine to form this stylized mask. Their interwoven bodies create the prominent twisted nose and goggle eyes associated with Tlaloc, the god of rain. The eyebrows double as the two rattles from the serpents’ tails.

Snakes copulate by intertwining, sometimes in a vertical position. In Mesoamerica, this act of procreation may have been observed and adapted, both visually and metaphorically, to symbolize the fertilizing rains sent by Tlaloc. The striking green and blue colors of the mosaic evoke the waters and vegetation covering the earth’s surface. On the mask’s forehead, an engraved mosaic tile in the shape of a bivalve shell may symbolize water, while the large green mosaic tile on the opposite snake perhaps represents vegetation, both aspects associated with Tlaloc. Mosaic representations of feathers flanking the face may have mimicked part of a larger headdress that once complimented the mask.

Open cavities in the eyes and suspension holes indicate that this mask may once have been worn. The priest who served Tlaloc in the Templo Mayor at Tenochtitlan was known as Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Tlamacazqui and may have worn a mask like this as part of his ritual attire. Another example of a Tlaloc wooden mask, painted in blue, has recently been excavated from the Templo Mayor. It bears similar perforations and may have been worn by a deity impersonator.

We, AM Style, illustrate how fascinating the Aztec Tlaloc God of Rain truly is, here is the most amazing design you should take a look :

Aztec Tlaloc Sun God Aztec Mexican Mural Art

Tlaloc was a god that the Aztecs believed to be responsible for rainfall, and thus fertility. He is also associated with lightning and water in general. Tlaloc's name means "he who causes things to become green" or "he who makes the land fertile".

Aztec Tlaloc Sun God Aztec Mexican Mural Art

Aztec Sun God Tlaloc Aztec Mexican Mural Art

Tlaloc is one of several important deities in Aztec mythology, including Quetzalcoatl—the feathered serpent—and Xipe Totec —god of springtime and regrowth. The Aztecs sacrificed children to him because they thought that would please him enough to bring rain for their crops.

Amstylestore

Tìm kiếm Blog này