Disk_of_Mictlāntēcutli

<i>Disk of Mictlāntēcutli</i>

Disk of Mictlāntēcutli

Aztec sculpture

The Disk of Mictlāntēcutli (Nahuatl: [mik.t͡ɬaːn.ˈteːkʷ.t͡ɬi] ⓘ), otherwise known as the Disk of Death, is a pre-Hispanic sculpture depicting Mictlāntēcutli, the Aztec god of death and ruler of Mictlān, the underworld of Aztec mythology.[1] Archaeologists found the artwork in Teotihuacan's Pyramid of the Sun in 1963. The basaltic rock disk is partly destroyed. The sculpture features a skull with the tongue out and is surrounded by a pleated paper headdress.

Quick Facts Disk of Mictlāntēcutli, Material ...

For the Aztecs, Teotihuacan was the place where the Fifth Sun was born. They conducted pilgrimages from Tenochtitlan to honor the city and leave gifts, which included the disk. The meaning of the sculpture is uncertain, although archaeologists do not rule out the possibility that it alludes to sun death or human sacrifice.[2]

The piece is on display at Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology in the Teotihuacan exhibition.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Enger, Reed (14 October 2019). "Disk of Mictlantecuhtli". Obelisk Art History. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  2. [2]
    "Pieza del mes: Disco de la muerte" [Piece of the month: Disk of Death] (PDF). Agenda Cultural del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (in Spanish). National Museum of Anthropology: 29. March 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Disk of Mictlantecuhtli.


Stub icon

This article related to indigenous Mesoamerican culture is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Disk_of_Mictlāntēcutli, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.