As the Aztec Empire spread across Mesoamerica, the Aztecs imposed their own religious and symbolic system onto the conquered peoples. Although they had no written language, they did have a sophisticated writing system that used images and symbols to communicate ideas. They also had a complex calendar system based on the movements of the moon and other planets that was tied to various agricultural cycles.

The most famous piece of Aztec art is the Aztec Calendar Stone. It is a large, rectangular stone with numerous symbols carved into it. It was originally located in one of their main temples, Tenochtitlan, and depicted the calendar system used by the Aztecs. But it is also an impressive work of art that brings together many different artistic elements in one spectacular piece.*

*Some sources say that there were two different calendar stones: one for war and another for peace. The date that goes with this article is from one that represents times of peace.*

The Aztec Calendar Stone is a large disc of stone with a number of relief carvings and glyphs on it that was created by the Aztecs in Mexico. The stone dates from around 1486 CE, making it one of the few surviving examples of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican art and one that is particularly valuable to historians as it is one of only two known to have survived the Spanish conquest.

Image credit: Image Credit: http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/displayarticle.php?articleID=1754

The stone was originally kept at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, one of the last remaining buildings from the Aztec capital city located in modern day Mexico City and which was destroyed during the conquest. Although parts of this temple were destroyed by the Spanish, they took care to preserve this particular stone, which they moved to Spain where it remained until 1978 when it was returned to Mexico by order of King Juan Carlos I. It now resides in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City near Templo Mayor, another surviving Aztec building. Image credit: Image Credit: http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/displayarticle.php?articleID=1754

The Aztec Calendar Stone is a massive stone disk, carved with the images of gods and other symbols. It was found in Mexico City in 1790, and is part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

The stone has been a treasure to scholars because it shows many aspects of Aztec life – their gods, their worldview, their commemoration of important dates like eclipses, and more. It is a rare example of pre-Hispanic secular art.

Here are some examples of what you will see on this disk:

This disk shows four gods surrounding a central deity, which may be calendar god Xiuhtecuhtli. Xochipilli (left) is god of flowers, games, dance and song. Tlaloc (right) is god of rain and fertility. Chalchiuhtlicue (upper right) is goddess of water. The feet and lower body show a fire god called Xiuhtecuhtli or Huehueteotl (pronounced “WE-weet-eotl”). He is associated with volcanoes, sacrifice and timekeeping.

The top register shows military campaigns that took place during the reigns of past emperors. The bottom register shows dates when rituals must have

The Aztec calendar stone is an important piece of artwork and historical artifact. The stone was originally made in the early 16th century, most likely for the emperor Ahuitzotl (1486–1502). It was subsequently buried for about three centuries before being rediscovered in 1790 during excavations in Mexico City’s main plaza.

Titled “Sun Stone” or “Aztec Calendar,” the sculpture is carved into a single block of red andesite, a hard, fine-grained extrusive volcanic rock that is similar to andesite. The stone is 3.2 m (10 ft) high by 2.5 m (8 ft) wide and 0.91 m (36 in) thick, with a total mass of about 24 metric tons (26 short tons). It is the largest known Mesoamerican stone sculpture.

The sculpture represents the five suns of Aztec mythology and was dedicated by Ahuitzotl on the final day of the four-day celebration honoring Tlaloc, god of rain.[3] It shows the past 4 movements of the Sun, which are also representations of eras. There is also an indication that this was connected to the 260-day ritual calendar.[4] This date formed

The Aztec calendar stone is one of the most beautiful objects ever made. It is also one of the most mysterious. The Aztec calendar stone was made by the Aztecs to record the passage of time and prophesy future events. It was created in 1479 and was found when a small church was being torn down in Mexico City in 1790. It is carved from a single block of basalt and weighs about 24 tons (22 metric tons).

The Aztec calendar stone has three main parts. The first part is the Sun Stone which shows important dates in the Aztec calendar. The second part is the Moon Stone which shows the movement of both the sun and moon in the sky. The third part is called a votive stone which contains symbols and writings that are still not fully understood.

What do we know about this object? We know that it was carved over several years using hammer stones and an abrasive substance. We know that it was used as a teaching device for priests to help them learn about prophecy for their religion, but we don’t know what calendar system they used to track time before this calendar stone was created. We also don’t know how they carved such an object out of a solid piece of basalt, or why they decided to

The art of the Aztec civilization has captivated scholars and historians for centuries. It is difficult to understand why these objects created by an ancient civilization would still evoke such fascination, but it seems that there is a universal appreciation of the aesthetic beauty in these symbolic representations of warfare, sacrifice, death and creation.

In the current era, art historians are beginning to understand the true complexity of the Aztec pictorial language. The stunning images on their ceramics and codices have been categorized as “mythic,” “historical” and “calendrical.” Any attempt to categorize them as one or another is not only a gross simplification of a complex pictorial tradition; it also fails to account for what may be the most important component of all — time.

The time-based nature of Aztec art is best illustrated in their codices, or books made from bark paper that were used for ritualistic purposes as well as historical records. These books were particularly important because they allowed for the recording and preservation of narratives that were considered to be sacred.

The Aztec culture was one of the oldest in the New World and one of the most complex. It existed for several hundred years before the arrival of Europeans. The Aztec’s were a powerful empire that had conquered many other tribes and they were well known for their art, architecture, astronomy and mathematics. But much of what is known about them comes from information provided by the Spanish conquistadors who conquered them in 1521.

Tlacuilo were highly revered among the Aztec people. They were considered wise men who lived to be over 100 years old. They were historians, artists, and teachers. These men would create books written on long strips of paper made from agave plants. These books would be illustrated with pictures and hieroglyphs that told stories about the gods, wars and ceremonies.*

**There are many different versions of these calendars or stone codices created by different Tlacuilo but there are some common themes that run through all of them. One is the use of color and images to represent important concepts in Aztec culture. Another is a focus on creation stories that describe events which happened before man was created.*