Coronation Stone of Moctezuma Xocoyotzin

BasaltMaker unknown (Mexica, Aztec) Probably Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), Mexico/c. 1503

Description

The Mexicas, or Aztec Empire, ruled central Mexico from 1428 until 1521. This monument uses glyphs to record the history of the Mexica universe up to 1503. On the back, 1 Rabbit represents the beginning of time. On the front, the four previous cosmic eras are inscribed in the corners, while the current cosmic era 4 Movement appears in the center. 1 Crocodile (above) and 11 Reed (in the square frame) indicate the date July 15, 1503, when the ninth emperor Moctezuma Xocoyotzin was coronated. Just as these glyphs recurred throughout the Mexica capital, Tenochtitlan, they can also be found in Chicago: 4 Movement appears in a mural at the 18th Street “L” stop and on manhole covers in Pilsen—a neighborhood that has long been home to Chicago’s vibrant Mexican community.

Provenance

Stendahl Art Galleries, Los Angeles, by Feb. 10, 1971 [unpublished typewritten analytical study prepared by Hasso von Winning and sent to Stendahl Art Galleries on Feb. 10, 1971, inscribed “HvW Feb. 10, 1971” and “to Stendahl 10-II-71,” in the West Lake Society archive, RI; slide of object at Stendahl Art Galleries photographed by H.B. Nicholson identified as “5 Suns Stone,” marked “S” (referring to Stendahl Art Galleries), and timestamped with slide processing date FEB71H7, in the H.B. Nicholson Slide Archive, California State University, Los Angeles; copies in curatorial object file]; sold to Seth G. Atwood (1917–2010), Time Museum, Rockford, IL, Nov. 14, 1972 [letter from Patricia Atwood, Dec. 18, 1989; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, Jan. 9, 1990.

Dimensions

67.4 × 57.8 × 22.9 cm (26 1/2 × 22 3/4 × 9 in.)

Source

The Art Institute of Chicago

Movement / Period

mexica (aztec)

Accession No

75644

Official Citations

[The Art Institute of Chicago Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Maker unknown (Mexica, Aztec) Probably Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), Mexico

mexica (aztec) • Tenochtitlan • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery