Stone of Tizoc
Encyclopedia
The Stone of Tizoc, Tizoc Stone or Sacrificial Stone is a large, round, carved Aztec
stone, rediscovered on 17 December 1791. It is thought to have been a quauhxicalli, in which the hearts of sacrifice
s were placed.
Around its side are depictions of Texcatlipoca, a major Aztec god, holding the patron gods of other places by the hair. Aztec glyphs
give the name of the conquered place, which may have already been conquered, or is considered divinely ordained to be conquered. One of the figures, however, is identified as Tizoc
, the Aztec Emperor from 1481 to 1486, who is dressed in the costume of the god Huitzilopochtli
. This has led to the stone's association with Tizoc.
The stone is currently in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City
.
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
stone, rediscovered on 17 December 1791. It is thought to have been a quauhxicalli, in which the hearts of sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
s were placed.
Around its side are depictions of Texcatlipoca, a major Aztec god, holding the patron gods of other places by the hair. Aztec glyphs
Aztec writing
Aztec or Nahuatl writing is a pictographic and ideographic pre-Columbian writing system used in central Mexico by the Nahua peoples. The majority of the Aztec codices were burned either by Aztec tlatoani , or by Spanish clergy following the conquest of Mesoamerica...
give the name of the conquered place, which may have already been conquered, or is considered divinely ordained to be conquered. One of the figures, however, is identified as Tizoc
Tízoc
Tizocic or Tizocicatzin , usually known in English as Tizoc, was the seventh tlatoani of Tenochtitlan.-Biography:...
, the Aztec Emperor from 1481 to 1486, who is dressed in the costume of the god Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli
In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli , was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.- Genealogy :...
. This has led to the stone's association with Tizoc.
The stone is currently in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.