 |
| The National Museum of Anthropology in downtown Mexico City [Photo by Author] |
The National Museum of Anthropology
in Mexico City hosts one of the largest collections of archaeological artefacts
and pre-Columbian masterpieces in the world. Among those, are a number of
pieces, some extremely famous, others entirely neglected by tourists, that
exhibit a level of technical sophistication far beyond the capabilities of the
ancient peoples who supposedly realized them.
1. The Aztec Calendar
stone
 |
| The Aztec Calendar stone - This 24-ton monolith was discovered in 1790 in what is today the great Cathedral Square of Mexico City, near the Aztec Templo Mayor [Photo by Author] |
This enormous monolith, weighting an
estimated 24 tons, was discovered under the ruins of the Templo Mayor, the greatest temple of the Aztec capital city of
Tenochtitlan. The enormous stone must have been dragged by thousands of peoples from quarries located at a distance of over 22 kilometers. It contains three
rings or calendar wheels surrounding a central disk containing a depiction of
the present Sun and of the four previous Eras or Suns, which ended in cataclysms. The
first ring contains 20 glyphs corresponding to the days of the 18 months’ Aztec
calendar. A second ring is similarly divided into squares, each containing 5
points, while the outermost ring contains the depiction of entwined fire
serpents and more calendrical symbols. With its complicated symbolism and
concentric rings or gears, the Aztec Calendar stone appears eerily similar to
the petrified version of a mechanical device.
 |
| Another bas-relief displaying a circular object (probably a shield) resembling the calendar stone. Was this curious design based on an ancient mechanical device? [Photo by Author] |
2. The monolith of
Coatlinchán
 |
| The giant monolith of Coatlinchan, as it stands on a fountain outside of Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology [Photo by Author] |
The monolith of Coatlinchán is a
colossal ancient statue that for centuries lay abandoned in an andesite quarry
near the ancient city of Texcoco, before it was finally moved to Mexico City in
1964. The same andesite quarry is also believed to have provided much of the
construction materials for the stone sculptures and megalithic architecture of
Teotihuacan, some 25 miles to the North-East of Mexico City. It is believed
that the monolith of Coatlinchán is a representation of the Rain-god Tlaloc. It
is nearly 7 meters high and weighs an estimated 152 tons, making it the largest
ancient statue and one of the largest carved monoliths in all the American
continent. The monolith now decorates a fountain in front of the National
Museum of Anthropology in downtown Mexico City.
3. Colossal Aztec
sculptures
 |
| An enormous serpent head carved out of a single block of andesite - It is believed to be a depiction of the 'Fire Serpent' and would have once adorned the sacred precinct of the Templo Mayor. [Photo by Author] |
The Aztec room of the National
Museum of Anthropology contains a number of colossal Aztec sculptures that once
adorned the area of the Templo Mayor.
Some of the most impressive ones include a giant crouching jaguar, depictions
of the fire serpent or Tochancalqui,
and some enormous serpent heads. The Coatlique statue is a particularly
striking piece of sculpture depicting the ancient Aztec goddess of snakes,
wearing a gown of entwined serpents and a necklace of severed human heads and
hearts. From her decapitated head, two great serpents spring out. These
statues, each weighting many tons, were carved from the hardest basalt and andesite stone by a
people that had allegedly no knowledge of metal tools, and may be ranked among
the finest and most striking pieces of sculpture anywhere on earth.
 |
| The Coatlique statue, also carved from a single block of andesite measuring 2.7 meters (8.9 ft) tall. It was considered so terrifying that soon after its discovery in 1790 it was quickly reburied on fear that it would encourage the return of bloody rituals and necromantic practices. [Photo by Author] |
4. Teotihuacan’s
‘Goddess of Water’
 |
| This statue of the 'Water Goddess' or 'Great Goddess' of Teotihuacan was found near the base of the Pyramid of the Moon. It was probably part of a pair that decorated a large, monumental temple on top. [Photo by Author] |
This enormous statue popularly known
as the ‘Goddess of Water’ was found at Teotihuacan, near the base of the
Pyramid of the Moon. The huge andesite statue is over 3.2 meters (10 ft) tall
and weighs an estimated 15 tons. It is stylistically similar to the great monolith
of Coatlinchán and may have originally formed part of a pair of statues decorating a temple on top of the Pyramid of the Moon.
 |
| This group of sculptures, which once decorated the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, is a fine example of the great mastery achieved by the builders of Teotihuacan in working with hard stones like andesite. [Photo by Author] |
5. Colossal Olmec
stone heads
 |
| A colossal stone head in the Olmec room of Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology. Notice the negroid features and what appear to be en elaborate helmet covering the head. [Photo by Author] |
Over 20 colossal Olmec stone heads
are known, most of which from the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The
two examples that are found in Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology
come from the ancient Olmec capital of San Lorenzo, Veracruz. Other than for
their enormous size (each weighs between 8 and 12 tons), these sculptures are
remarkable for their ornate headdresses and negroid features, with slanting,
deep-set eyes and high cheek bones, suggesting they may depict individuals of a
race different from that of the present inhabitants.
 |
| More examples of Olmec sculpture - This life-sized statue of a wrestler is notable for the presence of a beard and the highly naturalistic pose. [Photo by Author] |
 |
| Monolith n.20 from La Venta, dated to 1,200-800 B.C., contains one of the earliest depictions of the Feathered Serpent and the Myth of Quetzalcoatl. [Photo by Author] |
6. Drilled alabaster
vases
 |
| An exceptionally drilled alabaster vase. Found in the ancient Toltec capital of Tula, Hidalgo, this unfinished vase shows clear evidence of the use of a tubular drill for carving its interior and hollowing out material. [Photo by Author] |
 |
| Another view of the same vase - Note the perfect elliptical shape and the evidence of drilling in the interior. It is inconceivable that such an object could have been manufactured without the use of the lathe and of sophisticated metal tools and abrasives. [Photo by Author] |
A unique example of a drilled
alabaster stone vase can be found in the Tula room. Discovered in Tula,
Hidalgo, this unfinished vessel was carved with the aid of a tubular drill that
left peculiar drill marks on the inside. There is no explanation as to how this
was achieved by a people that supposedly ignored the use of metals but the
material used (a very fine kind of alabaster) and the general workmanship are reminiscent
of the finest early Dynastic Egyptian stone vessels.
 |
| Another example of a drilled alabaster vessel from the Olmec culture, with a lizard sculptured on the outside. [Photo by Author] |
 |
| Another drilled alabaster vessel from the Maya region. Its decoration is strangely reminiscent of the early Chinese bronzes of the Xia and Shang Dynasty. [Photo by Author] |
7. The ‘Monkey Vase’
of Texcoco
 |
| The famous 'Monkey Vase' from Texcoco, a masterpiece of ancient obsidian stonework and one of the most valuable artifacts in Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology. [Photo by Author] |
This small obsidian jar is perhaps
one of the most exquisite objects in Mexico City’s National Museum of
Anthropology. Made of a single piece of obsidian, it depicts a monkey holding
its tail above its head as a kind of handle. It is not known by what means the
hard obsidian (a type of black volcanic glass) was finished to achieve a
perfect mirror polish without breaking it, nor how it was so precisely carved on
the inside with walls just a few millimeters thick. The vessel was discovered
in 1880 inside a tomb near the ancient city of Texcoco, but nearly nothing else is known of its provenance.
 |
| Another view of the same vessel, from the front. The quality of the polish and finesse of the carvings is astonishing. [Photo by Author] |
 |
| Another view of the same 'Monkey Vase' of Texcoco. The perfect geometry of the vase and the quality of its mirror-like polish can be appreciated from every side. [Photo by Author] |
8. Incredible obsidian
and rock-crystal objects
 |
| A set of remarkable obsidian ear spools, believed to be of Azted manufacture. The thickness of the walls is less than 1 mm, making each disc look almost transparent. [Photo by Author] |
Similar to the Monkey Vase of
Texcoco, but on a smaller scale, these ear spools and pendants are also made of
obsidian. They are carved to a perfect mirror-like polish, with walls so thin
as to be almost transparent. Other examples are known from rock crystal and
other extremely hard stones. It is a mystery how this level of workmanship was
achieved without the aid of sophisticated metal tools by a people who allegedly
ignored even the use of the lathe.
9. Polished basalt
statues
 |
| A polished basalt snake, also believed to be of Aztec manufacture. The stone has been polished to a perfect mirror-like finish. [Photo by Author] |
The same level of mirror-like finish that is
found on the smallest obsidian and jade objects can also be found on some
larger basalt statues, like a number of magnificent coiled serpents. These
works of art are not only striking for their extremely accurate workmanship,
but also for their precise geometry that is almost suggestive of the use of
machines or other unknown mechanical methods for cutting and shaping the stone.
 |
| A detail of another coiled snake sculpture, from below. Note the perfect geometry of the scales and the spiral-form of the sculpture, which makes it rank among the finest artworks of all times. [Photo by Author] |
10. The Codex Boturini
 |
| An illustration from the Codex Boturini, depicting the Aztec's migration from Aztlan to the mythical mountain of Coatepetl. [Photo by Author] |
The mystery of the Codex Boturini
lies not in how it was made, but rather in its contents. One of only a handful
surviving Aztec codices, it contains a detailed account of the Aztec migration
from a mythical place called Aztlan, depicted as a large island surrounded by
water. From Aztlan, the Aztecs allegedly came to Mesoamerica, passing through a
number of mythical and real historical places. The Codex Boturini has often
been claimed to preserve the memory of the Aztec’s ancestral migration from
Atlantis. The very name of Aztlan may be translated as the ‘place of whiteness’
or the ‘white island’. The equally legendary Chicomoztoc, the ‘Place of the
Seven Caves’, from where the ancestors of the Aztecs emerged to repopulate the
earth appears instead as a subsequent step in the Aztecs' migration after their
departure from Aztlan.
