The Mexica people formed their capital when they saw the sign they had been promised: an eagle perched on a cactus.
Aztec
Thirty-three feet long, the Codex Borgia records historical, ritual, mythological, and botanical information.
Codex Borgia
Capable of being male or female, the Earth Lord Tlaltecuhtli is shown here as a woman who has given birth.
Monolith of Tlaltecuhtli (Earth Lord)
This Mexica water goddess was believed to have presided over the fourth, or most recent, sun.
Stone kneeling figure of Chalchiuhtlicue
Identifying which god this mask represents has proven a slippery task.
Serpent mask of Quetzalcoatl or Tlaloc
The turquoise, shell and other materials used on this mask were collected from the far reaches of the Aztec empire.
Mosaic mask of Tezcatlipoca
Snakes shedding their skin was a powerful metaphor for the Aztecs and is reflected in their pantheon of gods.
Double-headed serpent
During the twelfth century C.E. the Aztec (or Mexica*) were a small and obscure tribe searching for a new homeland.
More on the Aztecs (Mexica)
This vessel represents the goggle-eyed deity associated with rain and crops, critical for the agricultural Aztecs.
Tlaloc vessel
The family drama that lead to Coyolxuahqui’s dismemberment represented here has great soap opera potential.
Coyolxauhqui Monolith
The Mexica were long-distance traders, and Tenochtitlan received luxury goods from distant conquered cities.
Aztec feathered headdress
So ubiquitous that it has been used on currency, this unfinished stone records Aztec history and a future prophecy.
The Sun Stone (or The Calendar Stone) ...
When the Spaniards arrived here, they were amazed by the architecture—but it didn’t stop them from destroying it.
The Templo Mayor and the Coyolxauhqui Stone
This goddess has clawed feet, and wears a necklace of body parts and the snake-skirt from which she takes her name.