The Templo Mayor is the image of Coatepec or Serpent Mountain where the divine battle took place. The Great Aztec Temple saw many human sacrifices, and was soon destroyed by Spanish colonists in 1521. The fire and water together are the Aztec glyph for atl-tlachinolli. The Templo Major shows the importance of this story to the Aztec. Coyolxauhqui Stone is an Aztec Stone Sculpture created in 1500. (Throughout this class both terms, Aztec and Mexica, will be used to refer to this dominant people of late pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.) Coyolxauhqui Stone, the remnants of a skull rack, and an Aztec calendar stone. Construction of this temple began in 1325 CE, and it was the main temple of worship for the Aztecs in their capital of Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City). The Templo Mayor was dedicated to two deities, Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli. This connects to the birth of Huitzilopochtli, whose name means “Left-Side Like a Hummingbird”. During the calamitous time of the Conquest, spaniards, or even indigenous community members, would deliberately move and change Aztec monuments. The function of many Aztec monuments is dependent on their placement. . It lives at the Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico. The Mexica intended it to be viewed through the context of the time. The myth of Coyolxauhqui, as collected by Sahagún, is integral to the myth-history of the Mexica people. The Aztec intended for the entire Templo Mayor to recreate this story, including this monument. On this monument, the 1 Rabbit glyph is with the 2 Reed glyph, representing the transition of the cosmos from New Fire Ceremony. However, architects would paint this stone, whereas they would have left the Head Monument the original greenstone. The Coyolxauhqui stone. Almost 11 feet across, engraved on its surface was the dismembered body of Coyolxauhqui, the Aztec moon goddess. The family drama that lead to Coyolxuahqui’s dismemberment represented here has great soap opera potential. in Mathematics and has enjoyed teaching precalculus, calculus, linear algebra, and number theory at both the junior college and university levels for over 20 years. COYOLXAUHQUI Aztec Moon Goddess. Supporting Question How did Tenochtitlán sustain itself? Today this monument stands in the National Museum in Mexico City. It could also mean that the severed head of Coyolxauhqui is a source of power; that as a goddess, she carries both destructive fire and creative water inside of her. Includes an interview with the archaeologist who led the excavations. In 1829, archeologists unearthed a colossal pre-Columbian stone monument from a colonial church’s foundations in Mexico City. For example, when I think of the Aztecs myths, the Coyolxauhqui Stone from the Templo Mayor comes to mind. Unearthing the Aztec past, the destruction of the Templo Mayor (Mexico City) . Coyolxauhqui is the Aztec Moon Goddess. The Sun Stone (The Calendar Stone) Coyolxauhqui Stone. Formative Task Develop a chaîne opératoire (operational sequence) for three Aztec economic innovations. The Spanish took over the city as they colonized, building their colony over the ruins. This monument, simply called the Coyolxauhqui Stone, is a very large, flattened circular stone and shows a relief of Coyolxauhqui’s dismembered body. The nose-adornment is common for the time period. Using a snake he controlled as a weapon he managed to wound his sister Coyolxauhqui and then cut off her head; her body rolled down and was falling apart completely dismembered. The eagle feathers on her headband also connect to the idea of the sun, which references the cempoalxochitl flower. This discovery was the impetus that led to the rebirth of the ancient Aztec sacred precinct with its crowning glory: the Great Temple with its twin shrines. Cite this page as: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, "The Templo Mayor and the Coyolxauhqui Stone," in, Featured | Art that brings U.S. history to life, At-Risk Cultural Heritage Education Series. However the smooth surface and precise lines show the work put into this monument and its importance as an object. However, it is impossible for us today to completely understand this context, because most of the temple was destroyed during the Conquest, and the artifacts split up or crushed. Because we do not know where the monument was kept during pre-Colonial times, we are unable to entirely know its function. Archeologists found most the monumental sculptures in downtown Mexico City. There are many visual details of the Head of Coyolxauhqui that have iconographic connections. Copyright © 2021 Dave4Math, LLC. Coatlicue, (Nahuatl: “Serpent Skirt”) Aztec earth goddess, symbol of the earth as both creator and destroyer, mother of the gods and mortals. On both sides of the stairway's base were two large grinning serpent heads. The dualism that she embodies is powerfully concretized in her image: her face is of two fanged serpents and her skirt is of interwoven snakes (snakes Coyolxauhqui, represented with bells on her cheeks, is the daughter of Coatlicue, She of the Serpent Skirt. The image is clear. (Summary), About the Visual Arts and Why They Are Important, Death and Persecution in the Early Renaissance, About the Performing Arts and Why They Are Important, About Languages and Why They Are Important, About Law and Why It Is Important (Eight Types), Outstanding Philosophers (10 Inspiring Careers), Metaethics from a First-Person Standpoint, Exploring Movie Construction and Production. The image of Coyolxauhqui is beautifully rendered in the massive stone relief that was found at the Great Temple (Templo Mayor). There were many other monuments with reliefs on their bases. The Aztecs are famous for their clash with Cortes during the discovery of the New World. Her mother, Coatlicue, became magically pregnant when a crown of feathers fell in Her lap. Coyolxauhqui is also important to the Mexica as a part of the pantheon relating to the moon and fertility. The city of Tenochtitlan was established in 1325 on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco (much of which has since been filled in to accommodate Mexico City which now exists on this site), and with the city’s foundation the original structure of the Templo Mayor was built. Architects represented Coyolxauhqui with bells on her cheeks, trapeze earrings, and a headband of down and eagle feathers. Speakers: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Steven Zucker, https://smarthistory.org/templo-mayor-at-tenochtitlan-the-coyolxauhqui-stone-and-an-olmec-mask/. Her name means "Woman With Copper Bells on Her Cheeks", and when the moon rises full and red you can still see them. We will discuss the iconographical significance, theorize reasons for its creation, its function in the pre-Columbian world, and what became of the monument since. More generally, she symbolizes any enemy of the Mexica that will be cut down by the people of Huitzilopochtli. The Coyolxauhqui stone was found directly at the base of the stairway leading up to Huitzilopochtli's temple. Seler hypothesizes that the Aztec placed the Head of Coyolxauhqui on a platform on the temple. However, this is some streets away from the Templo Mayor, and not close to the circular Coyolxauhqui Stone. Coyolxauhqui, key finding for Mexico's archeology This special edition of Barriozona in Spanish recounts the history of the 1978 archaeological finding in Mexico City that led to the excavation of the ruins of the Great Temple of the Aztecs. But from Coatlicue’s pregnant womb sprang new brother Huitzilopochtli, who was somewhat over-protective of his mum and cut Coyolxauhqui ’s head off. As it is the birthplace of Huitzilopochtli, and so the beginning of the Mexica source of power. We will discuss its iconographical significance, theorize reasons for its creation, its function in the pre-Columbian world, and what became of the monument since. Another monument with a 1 Rabbit glyph is the Teocalli of Sacred Warfare, a stone model of a temple. We see this in the circular Coyoxauhqui Stone. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background. In 1978, workmen uncovered a huge, eight-tonne sculpted stone disk depicting the scattered limbs of the Aztec moon goddess Coyolxauhqui. Sources Source A: The Coyolxauhqui Stone (temple entry stone) Source B: Tzompantli (skull rack) Source C: Tonamatl (Aztec calendar stone) 3. Huitzilopochtli furious threw her head to the sky and thus it became the moon. During the calamitous time of the Conquest, spaniards, or even indigenous community members, would deliberately move and change Aztec … Dave4Math » Humanities » Coyolxauhqui (Analysis of the Head of Coyolxauhqui). Templo Mayor at Tenochtitlan, the Coyolxauhqui Stone, and an Olmec Mask . An interconnected world is not as recent as we think. The two snakes could represent the mountain where the story happens and where Coyolxauhqui dies, Coatepec, or Snake Mountain. Unearthing the Aztec past, the destruction of the Templo Mayor. Coyolxauhqui is the sister and enemy of Huitzilopochtli, the patron god of the Mexica people who live in Tenochtitlan. Coatlicue, lived in Coatepec, where he swept for penance. As the story goes, directly after his birth, Huitzilopochtli defended his mother from Coyolxauhqui, dismembered her body, and threw it from the top of the sacred mountain Coatepec. This includes the contemporary political climate and similar stone works that would have been displayed in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The Coyolxauhqui stone. The sacrifice was considered an offering to the deity. Archaeological evidence of this mythical correspondence was found in 1978, when a large stone sculpture of the decapitated and dismembered Coyolxauhqui was discovered at the base of the Huitzilopochtli side of the temple during some … They dedicated the right side of the temple to Huitzilopochtli and used it to represent the mountain Coatepec where he was born. On both sides of the stairway’s base were two large grinning serpent heads. In addition, as a plant the cempoalxochitl is a connection to water, referencing Coyolxauhqui’s association with fertility. 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