Chapter IV

The Aztecs 201
Mayas and Aztecs compared to Greeks and Romans. The
Chichimecas. Aztecan History. Social Organization. The
Tecpan or Temple Enclosure. The Calendar Stone. Stone of
Tizoc. Contlicue. Mexican Writing. Aztecan Religion.
Conceptions of the Universe. Ceremonies. Poetry and Music.
Minor Aztecan Arts. The Tarascans. Southern Mexico.
Aztecan Influence in Central America.
A Cross-Section of New World History 249
Bibliography 255
Index 259

MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

Page.
Funerary Urn from a Zapotecan Tomb _Frontispiece_
Map of Mexico and Central America showing the Principal
Archaeological Sites with a Detail Insert of the Valley of
Mexico _Facing_ 45
Diagram of American Chronology _Facing_ 253

PLATES

I. _a_, Village Scene in Arid Mexico; _b_, In the Humid Lowlands 15
II. _a_, Site of Pueblo Viejo, the First Capital of Guatemala;
_b_, A Spanish Church at the Village of Camotan on the
Road to Copan 23
III. _a_, View of the Island Town of Flores in Lake Peten; _b_,
The Sacred _Cenote_ at Chichen Itza 28
IV. _a_, A Guatemalan _huipili_; _b_, Pouches of the Valiente
Indians 40
V. _a_, Zapotecan Girl from the State of Oaxaca; _b_, Lacondone
Man from Southern Mexico 42
VI. _a_, Cuicuilco. A view showing cobblestone facing of mound and
lava in contact with apron or causeway; _b_, Archaic Site
under Lava Flow near Mexico City 50
VII. Large Archaic Figures found in Graves and offering Evidence
of Ancient Customs and Arts and also showing a Quality of
Caricature or possibly Portraiture 54
VIII. Two Stages in the Stone Sculptures of Costa Rica 60
IX. _a_, Stone Sculptures of the Archaic Period; _b_, Typical Site
of the Archaic Period 62
X. Widely Distributed Female Figurines 65
XI. Distribution of the Archaic Culture 69
XII. Distribution of Agriculture in the New World 70
XIII. A General View of the Ceremonial Center of Copan 72
XIV. _a_, View of the Plaza at Copan from the Northwestern Corner;
_b_, View Across the Artificial Acropolis at Copan 74
XV. _a_, Model of the Temple of the Cross, Palenque, designed to
show the Construction; _b_, Detail of Frieze on the Temple
of the Cross 76
XVI. A Temple of Hochob showing Elaborate Facade Decorations in
Stucco 80
XVII. A Sealed Portal Vault in the House of the Governor at Uxmal 82
XVIII. _a_, Realistic Designs on Vases from Chamá, Guatemala; _b_,
The Quetzal as represented on a Painted Cylindrical Vase
from Copan 85
XIX. Stela 13, Piedras Negras 96
XX. _a_, Top of Stela 1 at Yaxchilan; _b_, Analogous Detail of
Stela 4, Yaxchilan 102
XXI. Development in Style of Carving at Copan 107
XXII. Scheme of the Mayan Calendar as presented in the Codex
Tro-Cortesianus 116
XXIII. Typical Mayan Inscription 122
XXIV. Page 24 Dresden Codex 130
XXV. _a_, Detail of the Dresden Codex showing _Tzolkin_ used in
Divination; _b_, Analysis of the above _Tzolkin_,
according to Förstemann 134
XXVI. General View of Monte Alban from the North 152
XXVII. Detail of Monte Alban showing Wall Foundations and Small
Cell-like Rooms 155
XXVIII. Zapotecan Art: Incense Burners, Funerary Vases of Portrait
Type, Cruciform Tomb with Geometric Decoration 158
XXIX. _a_, Sculpture of Stone of the Early Zapotecan Period; _b_,
Jade Tablets pierced for Suspension 162
XXX. Laughing Head of the Totonacs 166
XXXI. _a_, An Elaborately Carved Stone Collar; _b_, A Palmate
Stone from the State of Vera Cruz 168
XXXII. The Temple of Xochicalco before Restoration 174
XXXIII. Two Views of the Principal Pyramid in the Citadel at
Teotihuacan 176
XXXIV. _a_, Partial View of the Great Pyramid at Cholula; _b_, A
View at La Quemada 181
XXXV. Stone Slab from an Ancient Sepulcher in the State of
Guerrero 186
XXXVI. _a_, Finely Carved Ceremonial Slab found at Mercedes, Costa
Rica; _b_, Stone Figure from Costa Rica; _c_, Ceremonial
Slab decorated with Monkeys, Mercedes, Costa Rica 192
XXXVII. _a_, The Gold Work of the Ancient Mexicans; _b_, Ornament
of Gold from Costa Rica 196
XXXVIII. A Page from the Tribute Roll of Moctezuma 200
XXXIX. A Page from the Codex Telleriano Remensis 202
XL. Serpent Head at Bottom of Balustrade, Great Pyramid, Mexico
City 206
XLI. Sahagun’s Plan of the Tecpan in Mexico City 212
XLII. The Calendar Stone of the Aztecs 214
XLIII. The Shield Stone at Cuernavaca 216
XLIV. The Newly Discovered “National Stone” of Mexico 220
XLV. Sculpture representing Coatlicue, the Serpent-Skirted Goddess 222
XLVI. Page from the _Tonalamatl_ Section of the Codex Borbonicus 228
XLVII. _a_, Picture of Tlaloc, the God of Rain, and of Ehecatl,
the God of Winds, in the Codex Magliabecchiano; _b_,
Mexican Genealogical Table on Amatl Paper 230

TEXT FIGURES

1. The Great Snowstorm of 1447 shown in the Pictographic Record of
the Aztecs 13
2. A Mexican Picture of a Volcanic Eruption 16
3. Yucatan Deer caught in a Snare 20
4. The Moan Bird, or Yucatan Owl, personified as a Demigod 20
5. Spanish Ship in the Aubin Codex 22
6. Cortez arrives with Sword and Cross and Moctezuma brings him
Gold 25
7. Aztecan Canoe. Lienzo de Tlaxcala 26
8. Design on Modern Huichol Ribbon 37
9. Woven Pouch of the Huichol Indians 37
10. Atzcapotzalco Destroyed 47
11. Diagram of Culture Strata at Atzcapotzalco 48
12. _Teocentli_ or Mexican Fodder Grass 51
13. Archaic Figurines from Central Mexico 55
14. Archaic Figurines—Zapotlan, Jalisco; Tampico, Vera Cruz; and
Cuesta Blanca, Salvador 55
15. Archaic Figurine from Salvador 56
16. Types of Eyes of Archaic Figurines 57
17. Textile Designs painted on Archaic Effigies 58
18. Typical Tripod Vessels of the Archaic Period, from Morelos,
Mexico 59
19. Series showing the Modification of a Celt into a Stone Amulet 61
20. Groundplans of Yaxchilan Temples 77
21. Cross-section of Typical Mayan Temple in Northern Yucatan 78
22. Mask Panel over Doorway at Xkichmook, Yucatan 84
23. Design on Engraved Pot representing a Tiger seated in a Wreath
of Water Lilies. Northern Yucatan 86
24. Painted Design on Cylindrical Bowl showing Serpent issuing
from a Shell Salvador 86
25. Mayan Basket represented in Stone Sculpture 88
26. Typical Elaborated Serpents of the Mayas 90
27. Conventional Serpent of the Mayas used for Decorative Purposes 91
28. Upper Part of Serpent Head made into a Fret Ornament 92
29. Sculpture on Front of Lintel at Yaxchilan 93
30. Types of Human Heads on the Lintels of Yaxchilan 94
31. Sculpture on Upper Part of Stela 11, Seibal 95
32. The Ceremonial Bar 98
33. The Manikin Scepter 99
34. The Two-Headed Dragon 100
35. Gods in the Dresden Codex 101
36. The Front Head of the Two-Headed Dragon on Stelæ at Piedras
Negras showing the Increase in Flamboyant Treatment 105
37. Grotesque Face on the Back of Stela B, Copan 108
38. Jaguar in Dresden Codex with a Water Lily attached to Forehead 108
39. Late Sculpture from Chichen Itza 109
40. The Twenty Day Signs 112
41. The Nineteen Month Signs of the Mayan Year 115
42. Bar and Dot Numerals of the Mayas 119
43. Face Numerals found in Mayan Inscriptions 121
44. The Normal Forms of the Period Glyphs 121
45. Face Forms of Period Glyphs 121
46. Hieroglyphs of the Four Directions 127
47. Hieroglyphs containing the Phonetic Element _kin_ 127
48. Mayan Ceremony as represented in the Dresden Codex 132
49. Diagram of the Astronomical Base Line at Copan giving Readings
at April 9 and September 2 138
50. Representations of the Moon 142
51. The Last Glyph of the Supplementary Series 142
52. Comparison of Mayan and Zapotecan Serpent Heads 156
53. Bar and Dot Numerals combined with Hieroglyphs on Zapotecan
Monuments 157
54. Detail of Wall Construction at Mitla 161
55. Wall Paintings of Mitla 163
56. The Eyes of Totonacan Figurines 165
57. Jointed Doll of Clay from San Juan Teotihuacan 178
58. Pottery Plates from Cholula with Decorations in Several Colors 180
59. Vessel with “Cloisonné” Decoration in Heavy Pigments 184
60. The Turtle Motive as developed in Negative Painting with Wax
at Totoate, Jalisco 185
61. Jaguar Head on Disk-Shaped Stone, Salvador 187
62. Front View and Profile View Serpent Heads in Chorotegan Art 190
63. Jaguar Design associated with Figurines that still retain
Archaic Characters, Costa Rica 191
64. Jaguars from painted Nicoyan Vases 191
65. Highly Conventionalized Jaguar Motive 193
66. Simple Crocodile Figures in Red Lines on Dishes from Mercedes,
Costa Rica 194
67. Panels containing Crocodiles painted in White Lines on Large
Tripod Bowls from Mercedes, Costa Rica 194
68. Simplified Crocodile Heads in the Yellow Line Ware of
Mercedes, Costa Rica 194
69. Conventional Crocodiles from Costa Rica and Panama 197
70. Pictographic Record of the Fighting near the Springs of
Chapultepec 207
71. Details from the Stone of Tizoc 219
72. Detail showing the Construction of the Face of Coatlicue 223
73. Hieroglyphs of Precious Materials 224
74. Phonetic Elements derived from Pictures and used in Mexican
Place Name Hieroglyphs 224
75. Aztecan Place Names 225
76. Aztecan Day Signs 226
77. Variant Forms of Aztecan Day Signs 226
78. Aztecan Numbers and Objects of Commerce 227
79. Analysis of Mexican Record 231
80. Chalchuihtlicue, Aztecan Goddess of Water 232
81. A Mexican Orchestra 241
82. Mexican Blanket with the Design that represents interlacing
Sand and Water called “Spider Water” 243
83. The Year Symbol of Southern Mexico 245
84. Year Bearers in the Codex Porfirio Diaz ascribed to the
Cuicatecan Tribe 246
85. A Page from the Codex Nuttall, recording the Conquest of a
Town situated on an Island of the Sea 247
86. The God Macuilxochitl, Five Flower, as shown in a Mexican
Codex and in Pottery from Southern Mexico 248