Xiuhmolpilli (1 Death) 1500

This stone sculpture, called Xiuhmolpilli, was made by Aztec artists. It is now held in the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City. The sculpture has the form of a bound bundle of reeds. In Aztec culture, a xiuhmolpilli was a ritual object made at the end of a 52-year cycle, which represented a full lifetime. The Aztecs ritually destroyed old objects and created new ones to symbolize renewal. The imagery of the Xiuhmolpilli creates meaning through visual codes. The carved faces might be gods related to the calendar system. The careful carving and choice of material show the importance of ritual in structuring social life. Historians use multiple resources to understand this artwork better, from codices to archeological records. Art, as you see here, is contingent on social and institutional contexts.