Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures were known for recording their histories, their religious stories, their calendar, and even their tribute listings as codices, which in the Mesoamerican world took the form of screenfold books. While the Maya developed a complex system of hieroglyphic writing, other Mesoamerican cultures developed systems of recording information that combined pictographs and images, and these systems have recently come more and more to be recognized as systems of writing.

The images reproduced in this exhibit consist of deities and scenes from three famous Aztec codices. Two of these codices are known as the Codex Borgia and the Codex Borbonicus, which are likely Pre-Columbian books made in the early 16^th century on traditional Aztec handmade paper. These codices record the Mesoamerican calendar, with each page illustrating the primary deity or deities for that week of the year; Aztec priests would have used this codex in religious rituals and divining. The third book is known as the Codex Magliabecchiano, a codex likely made on European-style paper in the mid-16^th century, soon after the Spanish Conquest; it is a copy of a Pre-Columbian codex about the Mesoamerican calendar, with added Spanish translations.

 

Ehécatl is the wind god form of the deity Quetzalcoatl, also known as the feathered serpent deity and the deification of the planet Venus. Quetzalcoatl is also associated with fertility, water, and philosophy, and he is considered to be one of the most powerful Aztec gods. On this modern decorative plaque, Ehécatl Quetzalcoatl is defined as the Aztec god of February because he is also considered to be the god of merchants, who celebrated his feast annually on what is February 3^rd in the international calendar. In addition to the serpent-handled incense brazier and his black face, Ehécatl is most identifiable by the beak-like, long-lipped mask and the cross-cut conch shell pendant that he wears on his chest. Researched by Lauren Fitzpatrick

 

Tezcatlipoca, which translates to “smoking mirror,” is the Aztec god of warriors, sorcerers, and rulers, and also of sin and misery. The feast of Tezcatlipoca was one of the most important in the Mesoamerican calendar, where a slave was dressed and treated as the god for a year and then was ritually sacrificed. Tezcatlipoca is readily identifiable in this image by his black-and-gold striped face and the black disks that he wears in his costume, which represent smoky colored, reflective obsidian mirrors. Researched by Lauren Fitzpatrick

 

Tlaloc is the Aztec god of rain, lightning, and water, and he is the most feared of Aztec gods and commands the most sacrifices. The image on this plaque is identifiable as Tlaloc because of its distinctive facial characteristics; Tlaloc wears what appear to be round goggles over his eyes, and his mouth is covered by a twisted form under the nose with a thick fringe that hangs in front of the mouth. This image also refers specifically to Tlaloc as the god of nighttime rain, as above him is the starry night sky, and vertical lines of a dark rain fall around him. Researched by Lauren Fitzpatrick

 

Tlazotéotl is the goddess of spinning, weaving, and childbirth, and the image illustrates her wearing hanks of unspun cotton as a headdress, and giving birth to her son Centéotl. Tlazotéotl is also known as “the goddess of filth” because she consumes peoples’ sins in order to purify them. She is defined as the Aztec goddess of September by this modern plaque because her feast is celebrated annually on what is September 16^th in the international calendar. During the feast of Tlazotéotl, people sweep their residences and the roads in their community to celebrate cleanliness. A slave is also dressed and treated as a goddess for forty days, and then she is sacrificed and her skin is worn by an Aztec man who impersonates the goddess; close examination of the figure in this image reveals that it wears a human skin. Researched by Lauren Fitzpatrick

 

Centéotl, the son of Tlazotéotl, is the god of corn, the staple crop that was developed from a wild grass by ancient Mesoamericans. Centéotl is very identifiable in this depiction because of the vertical, stepped lines on the side of his face and especially because of the two ears of corn in his headdress. So important is this crop to Mesoamericans that different versions of this deity appeared in all ancient Mesoamerican cultures. Researched by Lauren Fitzpatrick

 

 

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu