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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Aztec Art : Aztec Green Stone Sculpture of a Cacao Pod
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Aztec Green Stone Sculpture of a Cacao Pod - CK.0103
Origin: Mexico
Circa: 1300
AD
to 1550
AD
Dimensions:
7.25" (18.4cm) high
x 5" (12.7cm) wide
x 4.75" (12.1cm) depth
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Stone
$9,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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The Aztec civilization is perhaps the most
celebrated of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures.
Their empire stretched throughout northern
Mexico and was surpassed in size only by that of
the Incans. Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico
City) was the center of their religious and
political systems. The city was composed of a
group of island located in the center of Lake
Texcoco, earning it the nickname “Venice of the
New World.” By the time the Spanish
Conquistadors arrived in the early 16th Century,
led by the infamous Hernan Cortes, Tenochtitlan
was by far larger than any city they could have
seen in Europe. Today, the Aztec are
remembered for their grand temple complex
ruins, for their intricate calendar system, and for
the few examples of their art that survive today.
Aztec art was primarily ecclesiastical and is
renowned for its powerful nature. Highly adept at
working with stone, the Aztec artists created
artworks that were both grand in scale, as
evidenced in their temple architecture, and
relatively small in size. Like many cultures, the
Aztecs believed that many animals had
supernatural symbolic associations. Therefore,
although the Aztec gods were usually visualized
in human form, most gods also had animal
aspects. Moreover, it was believed that both men
and gods could, at certain times, actually change
themselves into powerful animals.
Cacao pods and their seeds contained within
were highly valued by the Aztec civilization, both
in and of themselves, and for the chocolate drink
produced from their seeds. In fact, the cacao
seeds were used in Pre-Columbian Mexico as a
form of currency. The Aztec king was paid
annual taxes in cacao seeds. When Cortez met
with King Montezuma, he recorded the strange,
frothy beverage the leader consumed with such
gusto and how his servants vigorously whipped
the drink during preparation. The Aztecs and
the other cultures of Pre-Columbian Mexico that
came before them mixed the seeds with chilies,
vanilla, and other such flavorings. The drink was
valued for its flavor and medicinal properties.
Considering that the seeds were themselves a
form a currency, drinking this beverage was akin
to drinking money and thus an ultimate status
symbol. Elongated and segmented, the cacao
pods resemble a squash vegetable and are well
known in Aztec art.
- (CK.0103)
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