Ear Ornament or Spindle Whorl with Modeled Design Possibly 1450 - 1521

This small, round object, made by the Aztecs, could have been used as an ear ornament or a spindle whorl. It embodies the fusion of aesthetics and utility characteristic of Mexica art. Imagine the daily life in which this object played a role. If used as an ear ornament, it would have been a marker of identity, status, and perhaps spiritual connection. As a spindle whorl, it would have been used in the intimate, often domestic, act of spinning thread - an essential, gendered, economic activity in Aztec society. The red and black pigments swirling across its surface speak to the rich symbolic language of color in Mesoamerican cultures. Red, often associated with life and power, and black, linked to the underworld and regeneration. These colors suggest deeper cosmological meanings embedded in the everyday. This unassuming artifact invites us to consider the complex interplay of gender, labor, and symbolism in Aztec culture.