AZTEC ART: CHARACTERISTICS, CRAFTS, PAINTING, SCULPTURE - ART - 2025

The Aztec art or Mexica art is an artistic style developed by the Aztec empire in Central America. It reached its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries, when the empire was in its greatest state of military and cultural expansion.

This artistic style was represented in a great variety of forms, among which painting, crafts, sculpture and architecture stand out. The artistic creations of this civilization managed to expand throughout a large part of the continent, as the Aztecs came to control an important portion of the entire Central American region.

By Manuel de Corselas, from Wikimedia Commons

In addition, the large number of Aztec works that were created were made possible by the cultural and political hegemony that the empire had over the region.

This dominance allowed the Mexica to create a defined artistic style. Its pieces reached a good state of conservation that has given modern archaeologists the ability to study accurately the tools and techniques used by the Aztecs.

General characteristics

Links and influences

It is possible to find a large number of similar characteristics between the art of the Aztec civilization and that of other empires that expanded, at some point in history, in Mesoamerica.

In large part, this is due to the artistic tradition that Mesoamerican peoples inherited over the years. Large stone monuments, oversized architecture, ornately decorated craftsmanship, and the quality of metallurgy were characteristic of other Mesoamerican art styles.

For example, the Olmecs and the Mayans came to create very similar artistic representations, which inspired the Aztec artists of the 15th century.

The religious origin of Aztec art is closely linked to the beliefs of other Mesoamerican civilizations. These, long before, used art in religious rites and in praise related to agriculture.

The influence of Aztec art also occurred through artistic pieces from other civilizations of the time. Aztec sculpture has many similarities with that of the civilization of Oaxaca, since many of its inhabitants and artists came to reside in Aztec urban centers.

materials

The availability of a large quantity of precious metals and minerals allowed the Aztecs to choose from a great diversity of materials to work their art. Amethyst, obsidian, and marine shells were used for carvings.

The most precious material for Aztec artists was jade, given the limited availability of the material in the Central American region.

Exotic feathers from local birds were used for paintings, mosaics and some sculptural pieces. One of the most prized birds for the use of their feathers was the quetzal bird. These feathers could be cut into small pieces, which were placed in pieces of clothing and even in small-sized artistic works.

The semi-precious stone, known as turquoise, was also a preferred material for Aztec artists of the time. Its use was not limited only to sculpture (although many of the sculptural pieces present this material), but it was also placed on masks, as a decoration.

Precious materials were commonly used in artistic works that represented the gods. In addition, it was common to find this type of material in the ceremonial clothing of the various members of civilization.

Metallurgy

Metallurgy was one of the artistic skills for which the ancient Aztecs stood out the most. Many pieces of art were brought to Europe after the Spanish occupation, and important European artists, such as Drurer, praised the creational abilities of Mesoamerican civilization.

The Aztecs used, mainly, gold and silver as main elements in the creation of art through metallurgy.

In addition to artistic pieces for decoration, the Aztecs created other types of elements to be used by various people within civilization. Earrings, rings and necklaces were created. These works represented animals or deities, with a very advanced artistic capacity for the time.

Handicrafts

The Aztecs managed to achieve a high level of craftsmanship, although they never developed the potter's wheel that was used in Europe. Mesoamerican culture came to create small hollow figures, made of ceramics and other ornamental works, such as jugs used as containers to store the ashes of the dead.

The artisan skills of the Aztecs were not limited simply to creating funeral works or paying tribute to deities. They came to create decorative works, such as cups with wavy shapes and even small containers to hold incense during religious rituals.

Aztec pottery used to combine a wide variety of external ornaments, carved by the artisans themselves, with artistic figures and patterns made from paint.

All the jars, censers, and other ceramic creations were fine and evenly proportioned. One of the best examples of Aztec pottery can be seen in the works found at the Cholula archaeological site.

Sculpture

The sculpture has been one of the Aztec artistic representations that has been best preserved. Unlike other items, such as pieces of metal, the Europeans had no purpose to destroy them. Otherwise, metals such as gold and silver were melted down to be converted into money in Europe.

Most of the sculptural works of the Aztecs represented the various deities that this civilization praised. A striking example of Aztec sculpture are the famous Chac mool sculptures, which can be found throughout the territory that the empire dominated.

By https://www.flickr.com/photos/donabelandewen/, via Wikimedia Commons

The sculptures were carved in stone or wood, and could reach a monumental size, depending on the artist and the place where they were built.

The Aztecs did not think that these sculptures contained the spirit of a god, as other ancient civilizations did. For them, the gods resided purely in temples or centers of worship.

Aztec statues and sculptures used to be adorned with jewels, as a token of praise for the gods. In addition, they were stained with blood to symbolize human tribute to the deity represented in each sculpture.

Some Aztec sculptures had a cavity in the chest, in which the heart of a victim who had been chosen as a tribute was inserted.

Small creations

Not all Aztec sculpture was large. Many Aztec artists came to create miniature pieces, which represented deities of the locality where they were created.

In fact, the small sculptures were shaped like gods related to agriculture. The sculpture used to have great religious ties, and the smaller works were used as tokens of respect for the gods responsible for the fertility of the earth.

These types of smaller creations were not financed by the Aztec Empire, but were created by local artisans. For this reason, its meaning was different from that of the larger sculptures, which were created as commissions for the emperors.

The miniatures were also used to represent other types of creatures, not just deities. These works could be animals or insects, and were represented in various types of precious materials, such as jade or glass.

Painting

Aztec painting, like its architecture, derived its greatest influences from the works created by the Toltec civilization. Since the Aztecs never developed a written system, painting often used pictographs to communicate messages.

These pictographs were represented in the form of codices, which can be found in many of the great Aztec murals and works, such as the Mendoza Codex.

By don Antonio de Mendoza (Codice mendocino), via Wikimedia Commons

The paintings of this civilization had indications of cultural and historical representations of the Aztec people. Many of the paintings, in addition to conquest motifs, also featured a large number of religious figures. In many cases, the gods had their own codices by which a story was told, or his figure was praised.

As a consequence of the cause of a written language, the Aztecs used symbolism extensively in their works. One of the most fundamental characteristics of Aztec painting was the use of straight lines, which were used to create almost every shape in a painting.

The paint was also used to decorate ceramic works or other buildings, but it was also used to paint masks or costumes that were used during festivals and rituals.

Religious significance

Aztec paintings had a large number of religious influences. This was reflected in the figures that were painted, which ranged from "physical" representations of deities to animals. They were believed to be part of the powers of the gods and their effect on nature.

However, it was not only the gods that were depicted in Aztec religious works. A large number of priests (dressed as gods) were also painted, carrying out rituals. In these cases, the painters used bright colors as a method to exalt the figures of the Aztec religion.

The largest religious paintings have been found in temples and pyramids, as they were the architectural monuments most closely linked to religion.

Most of the paintings in Aztec society, although they did not directly represent any religious figure, were considered a kind of tribute to the deities.

In view of the religious significance of these artistic pieces, many painters were sponsored by the upper class and priests to do commissioned paintings. That is, wealthy members of society asked painters to make paintings in exchange for money.

Architecture

Mexico-Tenochtitlan

Aztec architecture is one of the most widely known aspects of Aztec art, as many structures are still standing today. This is mainly due to the quality and consolidation of the materials used during the construction process.

Like the ceramic pieces, the architectural works of the Aztecs were very well proportioned. This is especially significant because many Aztec buildings were built on the remains of old buildings, which represented a challenge for architects.

The fact that the buildings were built on top of others also helped make Aztec buildings some of the greatest architectural works in Mesoamerica and the world.

Despite the great variety of buildings, these had quite similar patterns throughout Mesoamerica. However, family buildings did have definite characteristics, which were related to the style of ornaments they presented.

materials

The Aztecs used many tools that, even for the time, were considered quite primitive.

One of the great characteristics of Aztec art is the ability of its architects to create large works without requiring modern materials. To achieve this, they used very well consolidated foundations.

The use of solid foundations was very important, not only because of the quality of the material used to build it, but because of the type of Mesoamerican soil.

Most Aztec architectural sites had a very weak soil type, which made the foundations essential to keep buildings standing.

All the materials used by the Aztecs were collected from the locality where it was built; Importing materials from other regions was not a common practice for the Mexica civilization, although it did take place throughout its history.

To build, mainly easy-cut volcanic rock, limestone collected from local quarries, and stone rubble were used.

Cities

Aztec architecture in cities was complemented by great urban planning. One of the best examples of Aztec architecture is found in the capital of the empire, Tenochtitlán. This city was not only the largest in all of America, it was the third largest in the world in the 14th century.

The most significant architectural representation of the Aztec capital was the Templo Mayor, one of the most important religious buildings built by the Mexica.

Main temple. Source: Pixabay.com

Its shape represents two important Aztec gods: the god of war, known as Huitzilopochtli, and the god of rain and agriculture, called Tláloc.

Themes of interest

Aztec religion.

Aztec calendar.

List of Aztec gods.

Aztec architecture.

Aztec literature.

Aztec sculpture.

Aztec economy.

References

1. Aztec Art, M. Cartwright in Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2014. Taken from ancient.eu
2. Aztec Art: A Way of Life, History on the Net, (nd). Taken from historyonthenet.com
3. Aztec Paintings, Aztecs and Tenochtitlan Website, (nd). Taken from aztecsandtenochtitlan.com
4. Aztec Architecture, Legends and Chronicles, (nd). Taken from legendsandchronicles.com
5. The Deep Roots of Aztec Sculpture, Mexicolore, 2014. Taken from mexicolore.com