Eduardo Matos Moctezuma

Leonardo López Luján

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of the discovery of the large monolith dedicated to Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui, accidentally found on February of 1978 in Mexico City's historic downtown and that originated the archaeological project "Proyecto Templo Mayor", archeologists Matos Moctezuma and López Luján have published a beautiful and profusely illustrated edition that analyses and graphically documents the history, religious meaning, aesthetics and later archeological discovery of some of the largest Aztec basalt and andesitic stone monuments discovered: the sculptures known as the goddess Coyolxauhqui, the goddess Coatlicue, the Aztec Calendar, the goddess Tlaltecuhtli, the stone of Tizoc and the stone Piedra del Antiguo Arzobispado, and the goddess Tlaltecuhtli. Both archaeologists, who at different times coordinated the project Templo Mayor, decided to leave a written and graphic record of six monuments that -they explain in the introduction- have several characteristics in common: "All are works of the same culture, the mexica. All belong to the large sculpture production of what is known as the Imperial Period, that is, they are pieces of great dimensions that were carved on volcanic rocks within a period of time that does not surpass fifty years between the earliest and the oldest. All, in addition, were discovered in what was the center of the old Tenochtitlán, either inside its ceremonial enclosure, or in the seat of the main market, today occupied by the main plaza Zócalo of the City of Mexico." (Our translation) --P. 15.

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