Close up view
Close up view
Double-headed serpent
turquoise mosaic
Mexico, 15th-16th century AD
An icon of Mexica (Aztec) art, this
striking object was probably worn on ceremonial occasions as a
pectoral (an ornament worn on the chest).
It is carved in wood (Cedrela odorata) and covered with
turquoise mosaic. The wood is hollowed at the back.
Serpent imagery occurs throughout the
religious iconography of Mesoamerica. The serpent is associated
with several Mexica deities including Quetzalcoatl (Feathered
Serpent), Xiuhcoatl (Fire Serpent) and Mixcoatl (Cloud
Serpent) or Coatlicue (She of the Serpent Skirt), the mother of
the Mexica god Huitzilopochtli. The habit of snakes to
shed their skin each year probably led to them being used to convey
ideas concerning renewal and transformation. Likewise the ability
of many species to move freely between water, earth and the forest
canopy helped underline their symbolic role as intermediaries
between the different layers of the cosmos (underworld, earth and
sky).
Spondylus (thorny oyster) shell was
used for the bright red details around the nose and mouth of both
of this object's serpent heads. Strombus (conch)
shell was used for the white teeth. Within the gaping mouths the
resin adhesive was coloured bright red with hematite. Beeswax
adheres to the edges of the empty eye sockets which were probably
originally inlaid, perhaps with iron pyrites.
The reverse of the body is undecorated,
although the surface may have originally been gilded, but the heads
are worked in mosaic on both sides. Resins from pine and
Bursera (copal) were used as adhesives for the mosaic.
Mexican turquoise mosaics
Mexica (Aztecs)
