Aztec Serpent Head, Palacio de los Condes de Santiago de Calimaya, Mexico City
Date
1500-1600
Creator
Name(s) currently unknown
Location
Mexico City, MEX
Introduction
This monolithic serpent head was probably found in this site in the 1530s, when a Spaniard was granted this lot in Mexico City. The sculpture represents a feathered serpent: plumes can be seen both above and below the figure’s mouth, itself filled with fanged teeth. Like many large Aztec sculptures, this one would have been carved from a single block of stone.
Iconography
It is not known if the sculpture served as part of the foundation of the 16th-century house that first stood on this corner. The mansion that rises above the serpent head in this photo dates to the late 18th century. It is set on the avenue leads directly to Mexico City’s zócalo, where the great Aztec Templo Mayor once stood.
For the Aztec, a feathered serpent like this one would have been associated with the deity Quetzalcoatl, or “Plumed Serpent.” Visible here are the curving teeth of the serpent’s open mouth. The eyes of the serpent would have been set farther back, now under the building’s foundation.
For the Aztec, a feathered serpent like this one would have been associated with the deity Quetzalcoatl, or “Plumed Serpent.” Visible here are the curving teeth of the serpent’s open mouth. The eyes of the serpent would have been set farther back, now under the building’s foundation.
Context/Collection History
This sculpture had a varied history: it was originally part of an Aztec building, then incorporated into a 16th-century Spanish-style house built on the site, and then reused again in this house from the 18th century.
Cultural Interpretation
This open reuse of Aztec sculpture was rare in Mexico City. Recycled stone was typically recut and its original iconography effaced. In this case, it is possible the house’s 18th-century owner wanted to acknowledge the powerful artistry of the sculpture and included it in the design of his house.
Photo credit
Barbara E. Mundy
Cite as
Dana Leibsohn and Barbara E. Mundy.
Vistas: Visual Culture in Spanish America, 1520-1820. http://www.fordham.edu/vistas, 2015.
Vistas: Visual Culture in Spanish America, 1520-1820. http://www.fordham.edu/vistas, 2015.
Selected bibliography
González-Polo, Ignacio. 1983. El Palacio de los Condes de Santiago de Calimaya (Museo de la Ciudad de México). Mexico City: Departmento del Distrito Federal.
Keen, Benjamin. 1971. The Aztec Image in Western Thought. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
Keen, Benjamin. 1971. The Aztec Image in Western Thought. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
Collection
Citation
“Aztec Serpent Head, Palacio de los Condes de Santiago de Calimaya, Mexico City,” VistasGallery, accessed September 8, 2024, https://vistasgallery.ace.fordham.edu/items/show/1638.