The Sun Stone

This decoration is taken from a stone altar often called the Sun Stone, or the Aztec Calendar. However, the altar was where victims of human sacrifice were killed. The pictures on the stone are taken from the Aztec calendar. The colours are based minute paint particles left on the stone. Like the Mayas, the Aztecs counted time in years of 365 days based on the solar cycle and a religious year based on the cycles of the planet Venus. The centre of the stone shows the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli. Huitzilopochtli also represents the sungod, Tonatiuh. His tongue is formed by the tecpatl (stone knife). It can be seen as a sign of authority and refers to the human hearts that had to be offered to the sun to keep it moving. This tongue points towards the heads of the two monsters that form the outer circle of the stone. In the mouth of the monster on the left side one can see the firegod Xiuhtecuhtli. The other monster has the sungod Tonatiuh in its beak, perhaps representing the everlasting battle between these two elemental forces. Around it is a double ring with the twenty "day signs" of the religious year. Each day of the Aztec year was associated with or "protected" by one of the day signs. These included various animals and objects with different symbolic meanings, something like the 12 months of the zodiac. Cipactli the crocodile symbolizes energy and work, and this is a good day to begin new things. Xochitl the flower marks a good day for reflection and spending time with friends.