A seated figure of Huitzilopochtli, tribal and war god of the Mexica and patron deity of Tenochtitlan, carved from highly polished jadeite and standing only 6.7 centimetres tall, dated to the Mexica period, 1350 to 1521. Scholarship identifies it as the only known three-dimensional representation of the god to survive. He wears two large annular shell pendants on chest and back held by leather straps, a headdress of heron and eagle feathers, both solar symbols, and a cape decorated with skulls and crossbones; a serpent's head replaces his left foot. Armed as a war god, he carries a spear-thrower and a sacrificial knife and holds a round shield decorated with six balls of eagle down, three horizontal ropes and a banner, and a hummingbird, the animal most closely associated with him, adorns his back.
Facts
Origins
Date of CreationMexica period, 1350 to 1521 1 Medium (class) Subject Matter
Depicted SubjectHuitzilopochtli, the Mexica tribal and war god who guided the migration from Aztlan and became the patron deity of Tenochtitlan, the only known three-dimensional representation of him. 2 Rights and Reproduction
Reproduction and CopyrightThis atlas describes and cites the figure rather than reproducing a photograph of it. 1 Physical Form
MediumJadeite (greenstone), carved and highly polished 1 Custody
Current LocationMusee du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris 1 Current CustodianMusee du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac 1 Connections
Associated With
This source names Tenochtitlan directly: "god of the Mexica and patron deity of Tenochtitlan, carved from highly polished jadeite and standing only 6.7 centimetres tall, dated to the Mexica period, 1350 to 1521."
Source Greenstone Huitzilopochtli (Mexicolore, citing the British Museum)
Depicts
Source Greenstone Huitzilopochtli (Mexicolore, citing the British Museum)
Originated In
Source Greenstone Huitzilopochtli (Mexicolore, citing the British Museum)
Sources
1. Figurine du dieu Huitzilopochtli (Musee du quai Branly, museum shop record)
Musee du quai Branly - Jacques Chiraccatalogue record, medium/object-type descriptionQuote, catalogue record, medium/object-type description
A seated figure of Huitzilopochtli, tribal and war god of the Mexica and patron deity of Tenochtitlan, carved from highly polished jadeite and standing only 6.
2. Greenstone Huitzilopochtli (Mexicolore, citing the British Museum)
MexicoloreOriginated In: Mexico, Stored country property on this entity, cited to this source: MexicoView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.