Question for January 2024

Yes, we can think of the crowns European royals wore as headdresses. In fact, the Aztecs saw them in a similar manner. For example, in the Tira de Tepechpan, Aztec rulers are first shown wearing the typical xihuitzolli (turquoise diadem), but when showing the inaugurations of rulers after the Spanish arrival, the painters replace the xihuitzolli with European-style crowns, indicating that they saw the two as equivalent signifiers of rulership. For the Native rulers wearing the new Spanish-style crowns, the implication is that they now rule with Spanish authority.

Rulers from Tepechpan: the first (14th century), sits on a ‘petate’ reed mat and wears a turquoise diadem (top), the second (16th century), wears a crown and sits on a Spanish-style chair