Teoilhuicatlapaluaztli-Ollin Tonalmachiotl
also know as the Aztec Cosmos/Calendar
• It is commonly called the
Aztec Calendar or the
Sun Stone, but for our
purposes we will call it
the Aztec Cosmos, as it is
much more than a
calendar, astronomical
guide or sun symbol; it is
the depiction of the great
and venerable (highly
respected) mechanism of
the universe and of Aztec
concepts of their place
both terrestrial (on earth)
and celestial (in heaven)
The Aztec Cosmos
•
•
On December 17, 1790 workers
found a huge 26 ton monolith
buried face down near what was
once a corner of the ceremonial
center of Tenochtitlan
The stone carved with symbols
depicting the Aztec universe,
calendar, history and lore, was
brought out and attached to one of
the towers of the Cathedral where
it remained until 1885. The
calendar was then moved to the
city museum and from there to the
National Museum of anthropology
and history in Chapultepec park,
Mexico city.
History of the “Cosmos”
• Fray Diego de Duran
mentions in his writings
that it was the second
archbishop of Mexico
who ordered the stone
buried in December of
1559. The means the
stone which was sculpted
in the 1400’s survived the
Tenochtitlan’s destruction
and was apparently left
on view as an object of
curiosity for conqueror
and conquered alike for
38 years.
You may ask;
“How did it get buried?”
•
•
•
While many Aztecs came to
accept the new religion brought by
the Spanish, the old rituals and
beliefs were not so easily erased.
A sacred period of time, according
to the Aztecs was 52 years and
they held a “New Fire” ceremony
to mark the beginning of a new
one. A New Fire Ceremony had
taken place in 1507, and in 1559
another was due to celebrated.
It might have been the
preparations for this ceremony by
unchristianized Aztecs or the
thought that the stone reminded
them too much of their sun
worship that caused the
archbishop to order the colossal
stone sculpture buried.
The Sacred 52 year Cycle
• In the 52 year cycle, there
were four periods of 13 years
each. Each period had a god,
a color and direction
associated with it. It was
believed that the gods took
turns in carying time. A 13
year period is represented by a
glyph representing the years
tied together and secured with
a knot. On the Axtec Cosmos
two groups of four knots are
each seen on the tails of the
Fire Serpents on the outer ring
The Outer Ring,Xiuhcoatl
• The outer ring is the
“Fire Serpent.” The
two fire serpents
depicted represent
the universe that
surrounds the earth.
Xiuhcoatl
• Xiuhcoatl was thought
to carry the sun
across the turquoise
blue of the day sky
and he is seen at
night in the stars of
the Milky Way.
Observe the star
glyph on his upturned
snout
Star
Glyph
The Central Face
• The Central Face has been the
subject of controversy. One
theory is that it is the sun’s
face representing the firth and
present sun as it is in the
middle of the circle. In the
codices, the sun god is
frequently shown in the middle
of a Sun disc. However, it is
important to note that Sun God
Tonatiuh is always shown in
profile. Frontal views like this
one are characteristic of gods
and goddesses of Earth and
Death.
The tongue glyph
• The glyph on the
central face’s tongue
is the light glyph.
Four Past Suns
Aztec mythology held that the
earth had lived four (epochs)
ages called “Suns,” and had
survived four catastrophes.
The Four past suns on each
side of the central face on the
Aztec Cosmos are
1.
2.
3.
4.
Nahui Ocelot (Four Ocelot)
Nahui Ehecatl (Four Wind)
Nahui Quiauhuitl (Four Fire Rain)
Fahui Atl (Four Water)
Nahui Ocelotl
Four Ocelot (Jaguar)
• In this first Sun or
age, the earth was
inhabited by giants
who lived in caves
and ate roots and wild
fruits. This epoch
ended when the
giants were devoured
(eaten) by jaguars
Nahui Ehecatl
(Four Wind)
• In this age beings
learned to cultivate
and breed plants.
This epoch ended
when winds and
hurricanes swept
everything away.
Nahui Quiauhuitl
Four Fire Rain
• In this age the beings
built temples,
pyramids and cities.
This epoch ended
when the Earth split
open and spewed a
rain of fire.
The Third Sun
Nahui Atl
(Four Water)
• In this age the beings
navigated and
crossed the oceans.
This epoch ended
when a flood covered
the whole world.
The fourth Sun
The Fifth Sun
• The fifth and present
sun is represented by
the large circle
marked at its outer
edge by pairs of
orange triangles. The
Aztecs believed that
this epoch would end
when earthquakes
shook the entire
world.
Quetzalcoatl
• Quetzalcoatl is
represented by the
arrow and the five
pointed glyph above
and below the central
face
Day Glyphs
• The twenty day
glyphs are on the
cosmos going in a
counter-clockwise
direction starting
below and to the left
of the orange triangle
at the top of the Sun
Disk.
Day Glyphs
The day glyphs are
1.
Cippactli (EarthMonster)
2.
Ehecatl (Wind)
3.
Calli (House)
4.
Cuetzpalin (Lizard)
5.
Coatl (Serpent)
6.
Mizuiztli (Death)
7.
Mazatl (Deer)
8.
Tochtli (Rabbit)
9.
Atl (Water)
10.
Itzcuintli (Dog)
11.
Ozomatli (Monkey)
12.
Malinalli (Dry Grass)
13.
Actl (Reed)
14.
Ocelot (Ocelot)
15.
Cuauhtli (Eagle)
16.
Cozcacuauhtli (Turkey)
17.
Olin (Movement)
18.
Tecpatl (Flint)
19.
Quiauhuitl (Fire Rain)
20.
Xochitl (Flower)