Tlaxcallan carrier figure

Tlaxcalan carrier figure, volcanic stone, height 78.5 cms., c. 1000-1500 CE, KHM-Museumsverband, Weltmuseum, Vienna.

A plate, perhaps an altar or bench, once lay on the raised hands of several warrior sculptures like the one shown here. The back shield, the ribbons around its arms and legs and the pointed “Toltec” loincloth identify the figure as a victorious warrior, as do the arms raised to grab the hair of the beaten opponent. Carrier figures were known from Tollan, the capital of the Toltecs and residence of the legendary prince Quetzalcoatl. The Aztecs, Tlaxcaltecs and their contemporaries collected items of this revered predecessor cult and made objects in the Toltec style. Accordingly, a statue from Tollan was worshipped in Tlaxcala.

From Aztecs, eds. Doris Kurella, Martin Berger and Inés de Castro, with INAH, Mexico - catalogue for the exhibition Azteken, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Hirmer Publishers, Germany, 2019, p. 284.

Photo by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore.