AZTEC SCULPTURE: ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS AND WORKS - HISTORY - 2025

The Aztec sculpture in stone is considered one of the art forms most finishes of this civilization Mesoamericana founded around 1430. The Mexica sculpture is the product of the development of a long tradition of engraving in stone and wood, which began with the first towns Olmecs who occupied the Gulf Coast.

These Aztec relief engravings range from small-scale personal works to monumental works that measure more than 10 feet tall. Many of these works were saved from destruction during the period of the Spanish Conquest and the Colony, because they were considered heretical symbols.

Gods of Aztec mythology Coatlicue (left) and Xiuhtecuhtli (right). Source: search.creativecommons.org

Certainly, the most important and numerous Aztec sculptures had religious motifs and were part of complex indigenous rituals. Usually they were exhibited in temples and other public spaces for their worship in the Ceremonial Precinct of the city of Tenochtitlan, although some of these sculptures were made only to be appreciated by the Aztec gods and not for the people.

They were placed in hidden places or the engravings were made on the inside of the traditional stone boxes, as in the sculptures of Chac Moll.

In the design and elaboration of these great works, the most important and qualified Aztec sculptors worked, given their social importance. The Aztecs also represented nature through their sculptures (animals and plants, stars, humans, etc.).

Origin

The oldest antecedent of Aztec stone sculpture dates from the first Olmec peoples who settled on the Gulf of Mexico Coast around 1200 BC.

From then on, succeeding civilizations worked out ordinary volcanic rock. Also gold and semi-precious stones such as jade, turquoise, onyx and amethyst.

In Aztec sculpture there are artistic features of other cultures such as the Mayan, the Toltec and the Zapotec, which were characterized by their imposing stone works. Mexican sculptors also received influences from the sculpture of contemporary neighboring peoples.

For example, of the sculpture of Oaxaca - some of whose artists lived in Tenochtitlan - and of the three-dimensional Huasteca sculpture of the Gulf Coast. So the Aztec sculpture was molded under multiple and varied influences that are expressed in its eclectic style.

Aztec artists admired ancient art, which explains their penchant for stonework sculpted in round bulk to represent three-dimensional figures. By means of this type of sculpture, which they took from the Olmec ancestors, they transmitted their messages and beliefs to the people.

That did not prevent them from also appreciating the contemporary art of their time. In the same way that they sculpted fearsome figures of gods, they could represent beautiful and graceful images of humans or animals.

characteristics

- It is a type of eclectic art due to the multiple artistic influences received from the sculpture of the ancestors and from contemporary cultures. In addition to its great thematic variety, Aztec sculpture expresses a lot of plastic force.

- Mexican sculpture is characterized by its economy of forms, as well as the artistic ensemble of the work, although it has the particularity of presenting details with great realism.

- It is one of the most developed types of pre-Hispanic art in Mesoamerica.

- The most important sculptures were made in stone, although they also used wood to carve their artistic works. These were often 'fed' with splattered blood and inlaid with gold and precious stones.

- Aztec religious concepts were communicated through sculpture and this was an essential part of ceremonies and rituals.

- The main themes or motifs of the sculptures were religious, with the representation of images of gods and goddesses. However, they also included elements of nature such as figures of animals, the sun and the moon, humans, plants, musical instruments, sacrificial utensils, etc.

- The attributes of the figures represented were carefully detailed, whether they were animals, gods or people.

- Said attributes such as claws, fangs, facial or pectoral ornaments and particular clothing served to more easily recognize and distinguish the meaning of one or another sculpture.

Other characteristic features

The sculpted and engraved divine images followed basic and characteristic patterns. These were almost always shown head-on and in a strictly symmetrical plane.

The male figures appear seated with their knees raised and their arms folded around them. On the other hand, the female ones are also shown kneeling but with their hands resting on them.

The faces in the sculptures are represented without age. The eyes are symbolized by a line and the mouths ajar to give them a certain naturalness, although not individuality.

The figures have serious expressions and characterize his ideals of strength, virility and feminine beauty.

Aztec sculptors worked their works with simple stone and hardwood tools, water, sand, and fiber cords.

Some of his works are sculpted in little carved stones but others have a very meticulous and elaborate level of detail.

Representative works

Xochipilli statue

Source: search.creativecommons.org

He was the god who represented art, beauty, games, dance, songs, and flowers in Aztec mythology. Xochipilli is a Nahuatl word that means flower prince. He was also the deity of prostitutes and homosexuals.

One of the most important statues of Xochipilli was found on one of the slopes of the Popocatépetl volcano in the mid-19th century. The god is represented in a figure seated on what appears to be a temple.

The statue and the base that supports it are covered with carvings of plants with sacred meanings such as mushrooms, tobacco, Ololiúqui, sinicuichi, and other flowers.

Coyolxauhqui stone

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The Coyolxauhqui Relief is a stone that was found in 1978 in the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan and was carved around the year 1473 AD Coyolxauhqui means in the Nahualt language 'the one adorned with bells'. It is believed that this Mexica goddess represents the moon due to the rounded shape of the stone, despite not having a lunar sign or glyph.

It is a quarry monolith, measuring 320 cm in diameter with the shape of a shield in which the dismembered goddess can be seen. In addition to its separate members of the body, balls of eagle feathers can be seen in its hair. On her cheek a bell-shaped symbol and on her ear an eyelash with the symbol of the year of the Aztecs.

Tizoc Stone

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The Tízoc stone is a grandiose circular sculpture containing Aztec engravings. It was rediscovered in 1791 in the Plaza Mayor of Mexico City. It was mistakenly called the Altar of Gladiatories Sacrifices due to the vandalism it was subjected to.

It is considered that a canal was made in the stone in the 17th century in order to reinforce the false idea that human sacrifices were performed in that monument. This sculpture measures 2.65 m in diameter and 93 cm high.

The stone contains images and representations of the Aztec chief Tízoc during an attack on warriors from the Matlatzinca.

Statue of the goddess Coatlicue

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It is a large monolith dedicated to the deity of the Earth called Coatlicue, which means "the one with the skirt of serpents." The sculpture belongs to the late Postclassic period (1325-1521 AD) and was found in Mexico City.

It is carved out of sandstone and measures 3.50 m high by 1.30 m. Wide. The sculpture has a necklace made with human hands and hearts. Her head is made up of two gigantic snakes that symbolize two jets of blood. It is one of the most representative pieces of Mexican sculptural art.

Themes of interest

Aztec religion.

Aztec calendar.

List of Aztec gods.

Aztec architecture.

Aztec literature.

Aztec art.

Aztec economy.

References

1. Aztec Art: Characteristics of Aztec Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Consulted of cultura-azteca.com.
2. Aztec stone sculpture. Consulted of arkiplus.com
3. Aztec art. Consulted of typesdearte.com
4. Aztec Sculpture: Characteristics, Symbols and Images. Consulted of cultura-azteca.com
5. Aztec sculpture. Consulted of artehistoria.com
6. Xochipilli. Consulted of es.mythology.wikia.com
7. Main temple. Consulted of es.wikipedia.org