A recent examination of a 24-ton basalt calendar stone, one of the most important Aztec artifacts still extant, interprets the central figure as the death of the sun deity Tonatiuh during an eclipse, an event Aztecs believed would result in a global apocalypse accompanied by earthquakes.
Many scientists believe the stone’s heart represents the face of Tonatiuh (pronounced toe-NAH-tee-uh), upon which Aztecs sacrificed humans to prevent the world from ending. In the February print edition of the magazine Mexicon, researcher Susan Milbrath, a Latin American art and archaeology curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, proposes a fresh, foreboding interpretation of this symbol.
“Perhaps they had a more bleak outlook on their future than people in today’s communities,” she speculated. “However, the Aztecs were more advanced in astronomy than most people realize.”
From around 1325 to the 1520s, the Aztec Empire ruled much of what is now central Mexico, until the Spanish invaded the area and assimilated the indigenous to live more like their European conquerors. Before it was discovered in 1790, the Spanish buried the 12-foot-wide calendar stone, commonly known as the Sun Stone, face down.
According to Milbrath, the stone, which is on display in the main square of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in present-day Mexico City, was most likely where the most prized captives were sacrificed.
She described it as “almost like a stage for public ritual.”
The original stone is on display at Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology, but a full-size copy is on display in the Dickinson Hall courtyard on the University of Florida campus at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Early cultures like the Aztecs and Mayas observed the sun’s movements to forecast future occurrences like weather patterns and astronomical cycles. The Aztecs sacrificed a prisoner on the calendar stone on the date 4 Olin, believing that the world would end on that day. The day comes around every 260 days in their calendar cycle. As the cycle continued, another prisoner was sacrificed, and the sun rose the next day. Tonatiuh made it out alive.
One of the most important features of the stone, Milbrath said, may have been washed away over time: paint. In commonly used images, including one displayed beside the original stone, the surface is colorful, with a headdress- and necklace-adorned Tonatiuh depicted as a blue and red figure framed in yellow.
According to Milbrath, these hues are frequently employed in Aztec depictions of Tonatiuh as a living god. However, some evidence suggests that the picture of Tonatiuh was left unpainted or tinted black, similar to how the sun appears during a solar eclipse. In another Central Mexican codex, black was also employed in an important eclipse depiction of the declining sun. According to her, Tonatiuh’s tongue, depicted on the Calendar Stone as a knife protruding out of his mouth, was also a frequent symbol of death.
Tonatiuh is surrounded by claws holding human hearts, a circle of signs signifying the 260-day calendar used to foretell agricultural cycles and future occurrences, and an eclipse monster – the embodiment of eclipses in other Aztec paintings and drawings. Fire serpents — open-jawed snakes with flames on their bodies and starry snouts — on the outermost ring indicate a constellation intimately associated with the sun during the dry season, when the sun’s intense rays were most brilliant, according to Milbrath.
AZTEC FIRE MAYA AZTEC CALENDAR
What do you think of when you think of Mexico? If you‘re picturing sun-drenched beaches, brightly colored piñatas, and salsa music, then you’re on the right track. But there‘s so much more to Mexican culture than that! For example, did you know that Mexico is home to some of the most vibrant and intricate art in the world? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some amazing hoodies inspired by Aztec sun stone in Aztec mythology Mexican mural art. So if you‘re looking for something truly unique and stylish, be sure to check out these amazing hoodies!
AZTEC FIRE MAYA AZTEC CALENDAR
THE AZTEC SOLAR POWER MAYA
Have you ever seen a sun stone? If you haven’t, they‘re these incredible ancient carvings from the Aztec culture that are meant to resemble the sun. And if you have, then you know just how striking they are. Well, artist David Flores decided to pay tribute to this ancient art form by creating hoodies based on the sun stone design! They’re absolutely gorgeous, and we can‘t wait to get our hands on one. Keep an eye out for these unique pieces – they’re sure to be a hit this season.
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