During this series we have been analyzing and reviewing the origin and history of the monumental monoliths of pre-Hispanic Mexico, especially those related to the Mexicas, who founded Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the place on which the current Mexico City was built.
This is the last publication of the series and in this closing we will touch on two monoliths that are amazing due to their dimensions and history and that seem ideal for the last chapter of the series: the water god Tlaloc, and the earth goddess Tlaltecuhtli.
Do not miss the previous installments:
(1/ 3) Monumental monoliths of pre-Hispanic Mexico: Intro
(2/ 3) Monumental monoliths of pre-Hispanic Mexico: Coatlicue and Coyolxauhqui
(3/ 3) Monumental monoliths of pre-Hispanic Mexico: Stone of Tizoc and Stone of the Sun
Although the name âTlalocâ means âthe one who is covered with earthâ in nahuatl, that is the name given to the god of water. This god was one of the most revered and ancient in all of Mesoamerica. His cult began in Teotihuacan, spread to Tula, to all the Nahua towns, and reached the Maya where he was known as Chaac.
Tlaloc governed atmospheric phenomena such as storms, hail, lightning and thunder, he had the power to dominate water and for that reason his cult was of vital importance for all these peoples because water was essential for food crops like corn.
The traditional image of Tlaloc has some characteristic features:
- blinders formed by snakes that also define his upper lip,
- face painted black or blue and sometimes green, and
- jaws with fangs, a long, wavy-shaped golden banner.
Currently, on Paseo de la Reforma avenue, next to the National Museum of Anthropology, there is a monumental monolith that is known as the âTlaloc Monolithâ. It is a gigantic sculpture 7 meters high and weighing 168 tons, carved in basalt, which is the fifth largest monolith in the world.
This sculpture is known as Tlaloc, despite the fact that it does not have the usual characteristics of its representations. Research actually relates her to the goddess Chalchiutlicue, âthe one with the jade skirtâ, who is a goddess linked to lakes and streams, who would be the wife of Tlaloc.
The history of this monolith is fascinating because it was located in a town located 33 kilometers east of Mexico City, and it was transferred to the National Museum of Anthropology in April 1964 to be part of the objects on display during its inauguration. The transfer of the sculpture was a historical event because, due to its weight and dimensions, a special platform with beams and steel cables had to be used. The transfer required a special operation along the route that took almost 20 hours and that crossed the ZĂłcalo of Mexico City.
The chronicles of the time indicate that at the moment the monolith entered the city, an hour and a half long storm broke out, which was not normal for that time of year. Nearly 60,000 spectators along the route witnessed, from sidewalks and in the rain, the transfer to the museum located in the Bosque de Chapultepec, welcoming it to its new location to be appreciated by city residents and tourists of all the world. The next 4 minutes video shows images where you can appreciate the transfer of the sculpture:
Tlaloc´s monolith has been kept in the same location for 58 years, placed in the middle of a water platform, and is a symbol of the Museum of Anthropology and of Mexico City itself.
TLALTECUHTLI, earth goddess: beginning and end
Since the discovery of the circular Coyolxauhqui monolith and the confirmation of the location of the Templo Mayor in 1978, the Mexican government allocated resources to continue exploration and excavation work in the Historic Center of Mexico City. This gave rise to the Urban Archeology Program in 1991, aimed at research and rescue excavations or archaeological salvage in the area occupied by the Mexica Sacred Enclosure. During all these years, an impressive number of archaeological findings have been made, most of which are located inside the Templo Mayor Museum, which is basically a site museum.
On October 2, 2016, one of the most important discoveries in the last 30 years in the history of urban archeology in Mexico was made: the Monolith of Tlaltecuhtli, goddess of the earth, which is the largest monolith to date, with measurements of 4.17 x 3.62 meters and 12 tons of weight. Tlaltecuhtli is a terrestrial and nocturnal deity, who in many myths appears as the mother who gives birth to all creatures, but also as a monstrous being that devours them at the moment of death, for this reason she becomes the beginning and end of all the beings.
The monolith found a few meters from the Templo Mayor shows a full-length being, from the front and in a birthing position, with curly hair that is characteristic of the deities of the underworld and with paper flags in its hair that mean sacrifice, crescent-shaped eyes, broad nose and cheeks with distinctive circles of the earth goddess and a emaciated mouth; and prominent ears adorned with circular jewels and fabric panels.
Her sagging breasts and the folds on her belly identify her with a prolific mother. The belly has an incision from which blood flows to the mouth. It has a short skirt with skulls and crossbones. Their elbows and knees are covered with skulls and the claws on their extremities have the faces of telluric beings.
The monolith was decorated with six different colors: ochre, two shades of red, blue, black and white, which can still be seen in the rock thanks to the conservation and recovery work and the timely intervention of the restorers over the course of a year of work, to show the mastery of Mexica artisans after having been buried for more than five centuries.
After all these recovery works, this magnificent piece was placed in a large space that occupies half of the Templo Mayor Museum, in a room whose ceiling reaches the three levels of the building, in front of a wall with descriptions of Mexico-Tenochtitlan of the Spanish conquistadors upon their arrival at Lake Texcoco. A true luxury that all visitors can access in the very heart of Mexico City and in the center of the ancient Sacred Enclosure of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.
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I hope that this incredible journey through 6 spectacular monoliths invites you to visit Mexico City in the future, that you can enjoy with your own eyes these exceptional ancient works of rock carving; and that the shared descriptions allow them to know a little more about its meaning and origin.
The six pieces that we analyze in this series can be visited at the National Museum of Anthropology and at the Templo Mayor Museum, which has free access for all national and foreign visitors on Sundays. The rest of the days the access has a cost of approximately US$4.00.
Thanks again to everyone for joining me on this serial!
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