The Aztecs, who were based in Central Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest, used masks extensively, as did numerous Mesoamerican peoples. They were, in other words, a "mask culture," as anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss defined it. Many Aztec events involving masks, as well as many diverse ways masks were used, are described by early colonial period writers. Some of these are shown in painted manuscripts and book illustrations from the early colonial period, and a number of pre-conquest Aztec stone monuments feature masked beings as well. The dozens of surviving Aztec masks in museums today, the bulk of which are in Mexico City, which sits above the ruins of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, attest to the prominence of masks in Aztec civilization. Since 1978, dozens of masks discovered in dedicatory offerings recovered from the foundations of the ancient Templo Mayor, or "Great Temple," have substantially supplemented Mexican mask collections. The presence of so many masks among the tributes buried in the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, the greatest and most important Aztec temple-pyramid in the Valley of Mexico, proves that masks, whether huge or small, modern or ancient, were highly prized by the Aztecs.
Masks were prized because they were supposed to have great power. They got some of their strength from the materials they were made of. The rarest and most expensive materials were used to create the most powerful and distinguished masks. The most valuable stone was turquoise, which was frequently chopped into small pieces (Greek: tesserae) and bonded to a wood base in a process known as turquoise mosaic. Turquoise, like jadeite and greenstone, was supposed to attract moisture and hence represented breath and thus life. The Nahuatl name for turquoise was xihuitl, but the best turquoise was called teoxihuitl, which combines the Nahuatl words for divinity and sacredness, teotl.
Teoxihuitl was characterized by Aztecs interviewed by Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagn as "the property, the lot, of the god."
Although there is reason to believe that there was at least one local source of turquoise in the Aztec Mexican Basin, the majority, if not all, of it had to be imported from mines in the southwestern United States and, to a lesser extent, northern Mexico. The Codex Mendoza reveals that turquoise was brought to Tenochtitlan as a sort of tribute in the form of both raw material and finished turquoise masks.
Jadeite, which was utilized for some smaller masks and maskettes, was also brought to Tenochtitlan from afar, possibly by traders known as pochteca. The sole known source of jadite is in Guatemala's southeastern region.
Another costly substance employed by Aztec mask makers was gold, which was supposed to represent the sun's excrement, giving it a sacred status. Some wood masks were gilded with thin layers of gold (gold leaf). Although only one silver mask, a tiny "maskette," has been discovered to date, we know that silver, which was thought to represent the sun's urine, was highly coveted as well.
There were no natural supplies of gold and silver in the Valley of Aztec Mexico; both metals, whether raw or processed, had to be imported. Gold and silver were kept in the hands of the nobility once they arrived in the capital. The region's best skilled metalworkers, some of whom were housed in the royal palace, fashioned any unworked metals into prestige objects. Much of the goldwork unearthed in the Mexican Basin came from the Mixteca region in southern Mexico, which produced some of Mesoamerica's best workmanship. Even gold artifacts that were most likely produced at Tenochtitlan by Aztec metalworkers show Mixtec influences.
The most prosperous and politically powerful members of Aztec society possessed and used the most powerful masks, which were denied to members of the larger commoner class, as well as war captives and slaves, as the preceding indicates. On the occasion of his investiture, the Aztec monarch dressed as the old fire god Xiuhtecuhtli, and his second-in-command, the man with the title of cihuacoatl, appeared in public dressed as the goddess of the same name, whose cult he had usurped from captured neighbors on the mainland.
For significant ceremonies, many Aztec priests dressed themselves as deities. A New Fire ritual is depicted on page 34 of the early colonial Codex Borbonicus, which celebrates the successful completion of a fifty-two cycle similar to our century. A procession of priests dressed as gods is seen making its way to a blazing hearth at the top of a big hill known as Huitxachtecatl (today, Cerro de la Estrella, Hill of the Star). They will approach the fireplace with four other priests known as fire priests, each wearing the characteristic eye mask of Tlaloc, the water and fertility god, to light their bundle of faggots, which they will use to spread the new fire throughout the region. In Offering 102 at the Templo Mayor, a Tlaloc outfit possibly worn by Aztec fire priests was discovered. Priests, like the costumed king and the cihuacoatl, demonstrated not only that they were entitled to a god's patronage but also that they had received the god's abilities by donning the god's garb. Priests, like the king and the cihuacoatl, had exclusive access to the masks that represented the Aztec pantheon's most significant and powerful deities.
It's not unexpected that many masks were manufactured for (and probably by) Aztec soldiers because the nobility and government relied largely on war plunder and forced tribute seized from conquered populations for their support. The material from which these masks were fashioned also gave them a lot of their potency. The ones that have remained are built of the frontal section of a human skull, with holes for strings on the sides or top. The skulls, which had previously belonged to defeated and sacrificed foes, functioned as war trophies for their captors while also empowering their new owners.
Other masks, supposedly fashioned of skin flayed off a sacrificial enemy's face, perished too quickly to endure the generations. These skin masks were tanned to look "like glove leather," according to the conquistador Bernal Daz del Castillo, and were worn during celebrations of military victory. Human-skin masks were displayed as offerings on temple altars, while skull masks reanimated with shell and stone eyeballs, noses, and tongues were buried in offerings at the Templo Mayor. Masks constructed of a fallen enemy's relics not only imparted his powers to the new owner, but also served as worthy sacrifices to the god.
This helps to explain the Aztec custom of flaying the dead bodies of war prisoners, including their faces, during the month-long ceremonial known as Tlacaxiphualiztli, or "Flaying of Men." Tlacaxipehualiztli was named after the war god Xipe Totec, also known as "Our Lord the Flayer," who appears in artworks wearing human flesh (pic 10). Tlacaxipehualiztli was a period when victorious warriors offered tribute to the ruler in the form of living captives who would later be sacrificed on the sacrificial stone. The captor recruited another man to wear the victim's skin for twenty days while collecting "gifts" from the captor's friends and neighbors.
Masks were prized because they were supposed to have great power. They got some of their strength from the materials they were made of. The rarest and most expensive materials were used to create the most powerful and distinguished masks. The most valuable stone was turquoise, which was frequently chopped into small pieces (Greek: tesserae) and bonded to a wood base in a process known as turquoise mosaic. Turquoise, like jadeite and greenstone, was supposed to attract moisture and hence represented breath and thus life. The Nahuatl name for turquoise was xihuitl, but the best turquoise was called teoxihuitl, which combines the Nahuatl words for divinity and sacredness, teotl.
Teoxihuitl was characterized by Aztecs interviewed by Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagn as "the property, the lot, of the god."
Although there is reason to believe that there was at least one local source of turquoise in the Aztec Mexican Basin, the majority, if not all, of it had to be imported from mines in the southwestern United States and, to a lesser extent, northern Mexico. The Codex Mendoza reveals that turquoise was brought to Tenochtitlan as a sort of tribute in the form of both raw material and finished turquoise masks.
Jadeite, which was utilized for some smaller masks and maskettes, was also brought to Tenochtitlan from afar, possibly by traders known as pochteca. The sole known source of jadite is in Guatemala's southeastern region.
Another costly substance employed by Aztec mask makers was gold, which was supposed to represent the sun's excrement, giving it a sacred status. Some wood masks were gilded with thin layers of gold (gold leaf). Although only one silver mask, a tiny "maskette," has been discovered to date, we know that silver, which was thought to represent the sun's urine, was highly coveted as well.
There were no natural supplies of gold and silver in the Valley of Aztec Mexico; both metals, whether raw or processed, had to be imported. Gold and silver were kept in the hands of the nobility once they arrived in the capital. The region's best skilled metalworkers, some of whom were housed in the royal palace, fashioned any unworked metals into prestige objects. Much of the goldwork unearthed in the Mexican Basin came from the Mixteca region in southern Mexico, which produced some of Mesoamerica's best workmanship. Even gold artifacts that were most likely produced at Tenochtitlan by Aztec metalworkers show Mixtec influences.
The most prosperous and politically powerful members of Aztec society possessed and used the most powerful masks, which were denied to members of the larger commoner class, as well as war captives and slaves, as the preceding indicates. On the occasion of his investiture, the Aztec monarch dressed as the old fire god Xiuhtecuhtli, and his second-in-command, the man with the title of cihuacoatl, appeared in public dressed as the goddess of the same name, whose cult he had usurped from captured neighbors on the mainland.
For significant ceremonies, many Aztec priests dressed themselves as deities. A New Fire ritual is depicted on page 34 of the early colonial Codex Borbonicus, which celebrates the successful completion of a fifty-two cycle similar to our century. A procession of priests dressed as gods is seen making its way to a blazing hearth at the top of a big hill known as Huitxachtecatl (today, Cerro de la Estrella, Hill of the Star). They will approach the fireplace with four other priests known as fire priests, each wearing the characteristic eye mask of Tlaloc, the water and fertility god, to light their bundle of faggots, which they will use to spread the new fire throughout the region. In Offering 102 at the Templo Mayor, a Tlaloc outfit possibly worn by Aztec fire priests was discovered. Priests, like the costumed king and the cihuacoatl, demonstrated not only that they were entitled to a god's patronage but also that they had received the god's abilities by donning the god's garb. Priests, like the king and the cihuacoatl, had exclusive access to the masks that represented the Aztec pantheon's most significant and powerful deities.
It's not unexpected that many masks were manufactured for (and probably by) Aztec soldiers because the nobility and government relied largely on war plunder and forced tribute seized from conquered populations for their support. The material from which these masks were fashioned also gave them a lot of their potency. The ones that have remained are built of the frontal section of a human skull, with holes for strings on the sides or top. The skulls, which had previously belonged to defeated and sacrificed foes, functioned as war trophies for their captors while also empowering their new owners.
Other masks, supposedly fashioned of skin flayed off a sacrificial enemy's face, perished too quickly to endure the generations. These skin masks were tanned to look "like glove leather," according to the conquistador Bernal Daz del Castillo, and were worn during celebrations of military victory. Human-skin masks were displayed as offerings on temple altars, while skull masks reanimated with shell and stone eyeballs, noses, and tongues were buried in offerings at the Templo Mayor. Masks constructed of a fallen enemy's relics not only imparted his powers to the new owner, but also served as worthy sacrifices to the god.
This helps to explain the Aztec custom of flaying the dead bodies of war prisoners, including their faces, during the month-long ceremonial known as Tlacaxiphualiztli, or "Flaying of Men." Tlacaxipehualiztli was named after the war god Xipe Totec, also known as "Our Lord the Flayer," who appears in artworks wearing human flesh (pic 10). Tlacaxipehualiztli was a period when victorious warriors offered tribute to the ruler in the form of living captives who would later be sacrificed on the sacrificial stone. The captor recruited another man to wear the victim's skin for twenty days while collecting "gifts" from the captor's friends and neighbors.
Here is the Design Inspired By Aztec Maya Turquoise Mask
The T-Shirt recorded beneath is motivated by Aztec Myth 2.0 and customized for customs. These provisions are not simply caused your style to turn out to be more average for the Aztec Community yet additionally represent our pride in ourselves and our unique.
Maya Turquoise Mask Maya Aztec
Aztec clothing is a fascinating and intricate part of their culture. It‘s important to know that it was used as an identity marker, for ceremonial purposes, and during wartime. The Aztecs were known for wearing cloaks made from feathers, but what most people might not realize is they also wore shirts with patterns like this one: These designs come from the Maya Turquoise Mask and are said to bring good luck in battle. This shirt would make an excellent gift for anyone interested in history or anthropology!
Get order here: Maya Turquoise Mask Maya Aztec
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