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THE PETROGLYPHIC PRAYERS ON THE SUN STONE OF MOTECUHZOMA ILHUICAMINA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2014

Elizabeth Hill Boone  and
Rochelle Collins
Elizabeth Hill Boone*
Affiliation:
Department of Art, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118
Rochelle Collins
Affiliation:
208 East Park Ave., Lebanon, Ohio 45036
*
E-mail correspondence to: [email protected]
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Abstract

The Sun Stone of Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina is one of the major monuments revealed by excavations in and around the Aztec Templo Mayor since 1978. Featuring the sun disk on its top surface and the Mexica conquest of 11 enemy polities on its cylindrical sides, it is considered a gladiatorial stone, similar in both iconography and function to the later Stone of Tizoc. While Tizoc's stone locates its conquest scenes between earth and sky bands, this sun stone uniquely places its conquests between two bands of repeating motifs. The authors argue that these bands are extraordinary examples of pictographic texts that parallel and likely called forth ritual speech acts. The iconography and patterning of the motifs reveal the bands to be visual exhortations or prayers related to human sacrifice specifically associated with Tezcatlipoca. The complex pattern of the repeating motifs is rhythmic and reflects the discourse structure of Nahuatl high speech.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , Fall 2013 , pp. 225 - 241
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

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