In the year 1978, electrical workers in Mexico City discovered a stone carving while digging underground – the Coyolxauhqui Stone. This led to the discovery of the entire Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan, which includes their main structure of Templo Mayor. All underneath today’s Mexico City. Crazy!
In this article, I’ll dive into who the Aztec people of Tenochtitlan were. Then, I’ll cover the story and analysis of the Coyolxauhqui Stone . You can also watch my full YouTube video analysis of this artwork here.
The Aztec People
The Aztecs (1345 – 1520) were the main empire in Mesoamerica after the Mayans. Unfortunately, they were wiped out by the Spaniards due to disease, murder, and plundering.
Origin story of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital
Tenochtitlan was the Aztec’s capital city, and its origin story might sound familiar. This story is so seeped into Mexico history that it’s found on their flag. The story of Tenochtitlan goes like this…
The patron god of Mexico, or the Aztecs, was Huitzilopochtli. He had a vision that he needed to walk until he saw an eagle land on a cactus while grasping a snake in its claws. Once he saw this, he needed to build his main city in that location.
So, he and his followers walked and walked until they found this sign. Unfortunately, it was on a swampy island in the middle of lake Texcoco. And so they built their main city, Tenochtitlan, on a swampy island.
Tenochtitlan’s Templo Mayor
In Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs built their main structure called Templo Mayor. When Templo Mayor was excavated following the discovery of the Coyolxauhqui Stone, seven distinct layers to the structures were noticed. These layers have been assigned to each ruler who reigned in Tenochtitlan. Each ruler seemed to build on top of the previous ruler’s portion of the temple to show their power and their connection to the gods.
Templo Mayor is made up of two connected structures. First, the structure on the left with some blue color is dedicated to the deity Tlaloc – the god of water, rain, agriculture, fertility, and that kind of stuff. It is believed that this temple was made to represent a mountain called the Mountain of Sustenance, which is a mountain that provides rain and water to help crops grow.
Second, the structure on the right with some red color is dedicated to the deity Huitzilopochtli, who is the aforementioned patron deity of the Mexica (a term the Aztecs used to refer to themselves). Huitzilopochtli is the god of warfare, blood, power, fire, sun and all of those things. This structure is meant to represent Mount Coatepec, and at the base is where the the Coyolxauhqui Stone was found. This is where it gets interesting…
The Coyolxauhqui Stone
The story
Remember, the discovery of the Coyolxauhqui Stone is what led to the finding of Templo Mayor and Tenochtitla. Therefore, this is an important stone! Even more cool is the story that the stone carving contains.
Coyolxauhqui means “bells her face”, which is why she has bells on her face when depicted in art. Her mom’s name, Coatlicue, means “snakes her skirt”. Which is why she has a snake skirt when depicted in art.
One day, Coatlicue gets impregnated by a feather that enters up her skirt, and Coyolxauhqui thinks this is very dishonorable. She gets pretty mad at her mom for getting impregnated this way, and so she gathers up her 400 brothers and they decide they’re going to attack mom.
They find Coatlicue on top of Mount Coatepec (remember, right-side structure of Templo Mayor), which is snake mountain. When they confront their mom and are about to attack, the baby rips out of Coatlicue’s womb as a fully grown, clothed child. This child ends up being Huitzilopochtli (remember, the god of the right-side structure of Templo Mayor). Then, Huitzilopochtli defends his mom Coatlicue by cutting off Coyolxauhqui’s head and rolling her body down the mountain. Her body becomes dismembered as arms and legs get torn off while tumbling down the mountain.
The Coyolxauhqui Stone and Templo Mayor
As mentioned above, the Coyolxauhqui Stone was found at the base of Huitzilopochtli’s temple of Templo Mayor. The stone depicts Coyolxauhqui with dismembered limbs.
With that in mind, it is understood that the Aztecs performed human sacrifice at the top of this temple (symbolizing Mount Coatapec). After taking out the beating heart, sacrificed bodies would be rolled down the steps (sound familiar?) to where they would come to rest on the Coyolxauhqui Stone itself. Amazing.
Coyolxauhqui Stone Analysis
The Coyolxauhqui Stone is massive at 11 feet in diameter. Done in the low relief style, it would have been brightly painted. Notice the “bells on her face”, which is what her name means, and the feathers in her hair.
She is also decorated with earrings, sandals, bracelets, and a serpent belt with a skull. The serpent belt is thought to symbolize snake mountain, or Mount Coatepec. While the skull on the belt is thought to symbolize sacrifice and death. The earrings, bracelets, and sandals are signs of wealth.
In this carving, Coyolxauhqui’s head is detached from her torso. Notice how her limbs are pinwheel-shaped around her body and have bones sticking out of them. Coyolxauhqui is also naked, perhaps indicating humiliation and defeat. Her sagging breasts and stretched belly could be indicative of motherhood.
When put into context of the Aztec people, this incredible artwork comes to life. The Coyolxauhqui Stone is amazing art. It has an incredible story behind it. Above all, it’s purpose was sacred and fascinating.