31 May 2025 / 11 Lizard
Snake Sculpture
Courtesy of the Werner-Forman Archive
A detail of the original Aztec Templo Mayor (main temple in the centre of the magnificent Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, founded in 1325 CE): a sculpture of a snake on top of a low wall beside a stairway. The ruins of the great temple were only rediscovered in Mexico City some 25 years ago. (Credit: NJ Saunders)
The Werner-Forman ArchiveMore Aztec Artefacts
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Artefacts in the Spotlight
Whole Archive at a Glance- Xiuhmolpilli
- ‘Personified’ flint knife
- Pottery stamp
- Dancing monkey
- Aztec pitchers
- Water monster plaque
- Xipe Totec warrior
- Aztec fertility goddess
- Toad
- Deified warrior
- Atlatl
- Huehueteotl
- Altar of nocturnal animals
- Mictlantecuhtli
- Chacmool
- Detail from turquoise disk
- Quetzalcóatl-Ehécatl
- Urn with image of Mictlantecuhtli
- Huaxtec female deities
- Cihuateotl
- Solar disc
- Gold ingot
- Man with cacao pod
- Head with lip-plug
- Eagle cuauhxicalli
- Greenstone Huitzilopochtli
- Turquoise Mask
- Censer
- Stone cactus fragment
- Gold pendant
- Jaguar warrior sculpture
- Cactus boundary marker
- Teponaztli
- Codex Durán
- Head of an Eagle Warrior
- Teocalli of sacred warfare
- Statue of Xiuhtecuhtli
- Greenstone heart
- Rattlesnake fragment
- Grasshopper
- Gold disc
- Feathered serpent 1 - Reed
- Bundle of years (side view)
- 4-hole ceramic flute
- Greenstone beads
- Ear-spools
- Teotihuacán shell trumpet
- Macehualli (commoner)
- Pato loco
- Squash
- Head of Quetzalcóatl
- Head of a youth
- Ballgame offering
- Funeral casket
- Chalchihuitl glyph
- Templo Mayor dedication stone
- Reproduction chalice cover
- Fire serpent
- Wind god mirror
- Staghorn sceptre
- Miniature chac mool
- Stone teponaztli sculpture
- Stone bust of Quetzalcóatl
- Skull goblets
- Stone altar of skulls
- Skull and crossbones dish
- Woman with child
- Giant shell sculpture
- Olmec altar with two small human figures
- Eagle and Jaguar talking
- Chicahuaztli
- Altar with the date 10 Rabbit
- Head of a feathered serpent
- Hourglass-shaped goblets
- Fragment of a stone frieze
- Ceramic figurine of a woman in festive attire with a child
- Funerary urn with lid
- Coiled Mexica fire serpent (‘xiuhcóatl’)
- Altar of the warriors
- Gold objects from the Templo Mayor
- Maya Stone Lintel
- Wooden Mexica ceremonial shield with inlay
- Maya jadeite plaque of seated king and dwarf
- Incense burner with Chicomecoatl
- Large Aztec stone serpent head
- Aztec coiled rattlesnake
- Aztec turquoise mosaic helmet
- Sandstone seated figure of Mictlantecuhtli
- Mixtec jug with Monarch butterfly in the British Museum
- Aztec golden eagle bas relief
- Mexica turquoise mosaic animal head
- Jaguar head pendant
- Aztec or Mexica wooden two toned tongue drum
- Codex Moctezuma
- Enconchado series 1
- Aztec stone coyote
- Aztec stone omichicahuaztli rasp
- Cihuatéotl (2)
- Codex Mendoza
- Aztec stone rabbit figure
- Aztec pipes in form of ducks
- Mexica seated couple
- Fragment of an eagle vessel with the date 2 Reed
- Screen with scenes from the conquest of Mexico
- Aztec stone fish sculpture
- Aztec teponaztli in Paris
- Huaxtec shell pendant
- Aztec quartz rabbit pendant
- Head of unidentified Aztec goddess
- Twins carrying box
- Olmec Huehueteotl figure
- Cihuateotl figure from Veracruz
- Figure of man with jaguar nahual from Veracruz
- Pottery figure of a Nayarit drummer
- Bat Incense burner from Veracruz
- Decapitated ballplayer
- Sky throne sculpture from Veracruz
- Jadeite figurine of an Aztec eagle warrior
- Stylised Aztec human head
- Manuscript tracing of a large oval bas-relief sculpture
- Codex Zouche-Nuttall
- Stone Aztec serpent figure
- Chicomecóatl
- Aztec stone lizard sculpture
- Codex Cozcatzin
- Model Aztec ballcourt
- Nine link Mixtec-Aztec gold necklace
- Almena
- Human skull from the skull rack tzompantli
- Aztec obsidian mirror
- Head of the god Xochipilli
- Mictlantecuhtli (2)
- Prehispanic mask of 3 ages
- Aztec tripod ceremonial plate
- Mixtec-Aztec lip plug with gold inlay
- Two feather shields
- Reclining jaguar
- Tlaloc stone relief
- Gold bird pendant
- ‘13-Jaguar’ Aztec stone relief
- Tlaxcalan lienzo Vischer II
- Stone sculpture of Huehueteotl-Xiuhtecuhtli
- Tlaxcalan carrier figure
- Aztec copper axe money
- Gold earrings of Coyolxauhqui
- Stone owl
- Smiling figure from Veracruz
- Miniature Aztec eagle warrior figure
- Aztec stone snake sculpture
- Ancient Mexican seashells pendant
- Aztec stone dog sculpture
- Ceramic double flute
- 3 female figurines holding infants
- Ceremonial atlatl
- Xipe Totec figure
- Seated figure of Xochipilli
- Mixtec teponaztli
- Stone butterfly
- Aztec stone relief with eagle and snake
- Tripod dish
- Mould for small figurines
- Turtle with human face
- Mixtec tortoiseshell necklace
- Stone tool for paper making
- Aztec turquoise mosaic bird head mask
- Aztec vessel with skull motif
- Tizapán box
- Warrior teponaztli drum
- Mixtec ceramic cup with underworld god figure
- Miniature Aztec model temple
- Eagle’s head
- Pulque beaker
- Aztec rain god figurine
- Aztec relief with maize goddess Chicomecóatl
- Mapa de Tequaltiche 1584
- Mictecacíhuatl
- Stone box with calendar glyph
- Rattle bowl
- Tlaloc stone figure
- Two Teotihuacan masks
- Armadillo sculpture
- Maize carriers
- Chicomecoatl statue, Berlin
- Seated old man
- Resting jaguar
- Standard bearer
- Eagle head
- Stone figure of Aztec water goddess Chalchiuhtlicue
- Model double temple
- Cicada
- Seated woman
- Stone torso
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- Day of the Dead display
- Aztec gold bird skeleton
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- Miniature Aztec canoe, rudder and oar
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Artefacts of the Week
Whole Archive at a Glance- Cholula Temple
- Snake Sculpture
- Cuauhxicalli
- Featherwork Shield
- Xipe Totec mask
- Coyolxauhqui
- Quetzalcóatl mask
- Rattlesnake
- Ometecuhtli
- Twin-headed snake
- Quetzalcóatl/Venus
- Tezcatlipoca mask
- Stone statues
- Incense burner
- Feathered Serpent
- Dancers’ whistles
- Tonatiuh relief
- Turquoise encrusted shield
- Red Temple Excavation
- Conch shell adornment
- Eagle bowl
- Domestic pottery
- Palace ruins
- Pottery dish
- Cocoa vessel
- Macaw ocarina
- Small Aztec flutes
- Pottery stamps
- Tongue drum
- Spear throwers
- Mixtec gold pectoral
- Gold jewellery
- Colonial chalice cover
- Household figures
- Model temple
- Eagle-head pipe
- Xipe Totec stone figure
- Xiuhtecuhtli
- Tonatiuh and movement
- Xochipilli or Xochiquetzal
- Xiuhcóatl at Tenayuca
- Head of Xochiquetzal
- Ozomatli
- Coyolxauhqui
- Coatlicue (1)
- Coatlicue (2)
- Snake wall
- Small pottery idol
- Pottery dishes
- More Aztec pottery
- Spear throwers (back)
- Mixtec sun pendant
- Detail of Moctezuma's headdress
- Xipe Totec head
- Xochiquetzal
- Mictlancihuatl
- Xolotl
- Wind god/porter
- Small pottery idol
- Seated figure
- Household Gods
- Collapsed skullrack