Aztec sun stone
Encyclopedia
The Aztec
calendar stone, Mexica
sun stone, Stone of the Sun , or Stone of the Five Eras, is a large monolithic sculpture
that was excavated in the Zócalo
, Mexico City
's main square, on December 17, 1790. It was discovered whilst Mexico City Cathedral
was being repaired. The stone is around 12 foot across and weighs about 24 tons.
The exact purpose and meaning of the stone is unclear. However archaeologists and historians have proposed a number of theories and it seems likely that there are many aspects to the stone.
One aspect of the stone is its religious significance. One theory is that the face at the centre of the stone represents Tonatiuh
, the Mexica god of the sun. It is for this reason that the stone became known as the "sun stone". Richard Townsend proposed a different theory, claiming that the figure at the centre of the stone actually represents Tlaltecuhtli
, the Mexica sea or earth monster who features in Mexica creation myths.
Another aspect of the stone relates to time, hense the name "calendar stone". Some of the circles of glyphs are the glyphs for the days of the month. Further, some of the symbols may represent the five ages that the Mexica believed the earth had passed through.
Yet another aspect of the stone may be its geographic significance. The four points may relate to the four corners of the earth or the cardinal points. The inner circles may express space as well as time.
Moreover, there is the political aspect of the stone. It may have been intended to show Tenochtitlan as the centre of the world and therefore as the centre of authority.
Despite its being known as a "calendar stone," modern archaeologists such as those at the National Anthropology Museum
in Mexico City, at which the stone is housed, believe it more likely to have been used primarily as a ceremonial basin or ritual altar for gladiatorial sacrifices, than as an astrological or astronomical reference.
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
calendar stone, Mexica
Mexica
The Mexica were a pre-Columbian people of central Mexico.Mexica may also refer to:*Mexica , a board game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling*Mexica , a 2005 novel by Norman Spinrad...
sun stone, Stone of the Sun , or Stone of the Five Eras, is a large monolithic sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
that was excavated in the Zócalo
Zócalo
The Zócalo is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Square," and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
's main square, on December 17, 1790. It was discovered whilst Mexico City Cathedral
Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary of Mexico City is the largest and oldest cathedral in the Americas and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It is situated atop the former Aztec sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la...
was being repaired. The stone is around 12 foot across and weighs about 24 tons.
The exact purpose and meaning of the stone is unclear. However archaeologists and historians have proposed a number of theories and it seems likely that there are many aspects to the stone.
One aspect of the stone is its religious significance. One theory is that the face at the centre of the stone represents Tonatiuh
Tonatiuh
In Aztec mythology, Tonatiuh was the sun god. The Aztec people considered him the leader of Tollan, heaven. He was also known as the fifth sun, because the Aztecs believed that he was the sun that took over when the fourth sun was expelled from the sky...
, the Mexica god of the sun. It is for this reason that the stone became known as the "sun stone". Richard Townsend proposed a different theory, claiming that the figure at the centre of the stone actually represents Tlaltecuhtli
Tlaltecuhtli
Tlaltecuhtli, Tlaltecutli is a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican deity figure, identified from sculpture and iconography dating to the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology , primarily among the Mexica and other Nahuatl-speaking cultures...
, the Mexica sea or earth monster who features in Mexica creation myths.
Another aspect of the stone relates to time, hense the name "calendar stone". Some of the circles of glyphs are the glyphs for the days of the month. Further, some of the symbols may represent the five ages that the Mexica believed the earth had passed through.
Yet another aspect of the stone may be its geographic significance. The four points may relate to the four corners of the earth or the cardinal points. The inner circles may express space as well as time.
Moreover, there is the political aspect of the stone. It may have been intended to show Tenochtitlan as the centre of the world and therefore as the centre of authority.
Despite its being known as a "calendar stone," modern archaeologists such as those at the National Anthropology Museum
Museo Nacional de Antropología
The Museo Nacional de Antropología is a national museum of Mexico. Located in the area between Paseo de la Reforma and Calle Mahatma Gandhi within Chapultepec Park in Mexico City, the museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from the pre-Columbian heritage of...
in Mexico City, at which the stone is housed, believe it more likely to have been used primarily as a ceremonial basin or ritual altar for gladiatorial sacrifices, than as an astrological or astronomical reference.
Sources
- K. Mills, W. B. Taylor & S. L. Graham (eds), Colonial Latin America: A Documentary History, 'The Aztec Stone of the Five Eras'
- León y Gama, Antonio de. Descripción histórica y cronológica de las dos piedras: que con ocasión del empedrado que se está formando en la plaza Principal de México, se hallaron en ella el año de 1790. Impr. de F. de Zúñiga y Ontiveros, 1792. An expanded edition, with descriptions of additional sculptures (like the Stone of Tizoc), edited by Carlos Maria Bustamante, published in 1832. There have been a couple of facsimile editions, published in the 1980s and 1990s.
- Solis, Felipe. "La Piedra del Sol." Arqueologia Mexicana 7(41):32-39. Enero - Febrero 2000.