Page 559 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

A kind of rope circles the lower section of the
musical instrument, on top of which is the image
of two birds of prey: a vulture is on the left, and
facing it on the right is an eagle. Both birds have
their wings spread as if about to fly. The symbols
of fire and water mix as they flow out of their
beaks. The union of these two elements forms the
well-known symbol of atl-tlachinolli (water con-
flagration or flowery war). This was the supreme
military ritual in which select corps of the Aztec
army confronted their enemies to capture live
prisoners for the sacrificial stones of Tenochtitlan
or to achieve glorious death in battle.
From the decoration of this beautiful wooden
piece we can surmise that it was used in the
festivities associated with the wars of conquest
and the sacrifice of prisoners. F. s.

380
XOCHIPILLI

Aztec
basalt
2
2
115 x 53 x 42 (45 /4 x zoVs x i<5 /2J
CNCA—INAH— MEX, Museo National de
Antropologia, Mexico City
7
Xochipilli means "prince of the flowers' in the
Nahuatl language, and this name clearly defines
him as the supreme patron of the greenness of the
fields, responsible for the opening of the flowers
that bring butterflies and birds. For this reason
nineteenth-century scholars called him the god of
spring. Xochipilli was also the god of dances, of
games (including the ball game), of gambling, and
of love. He was the supernatural patron of plea-
sures and voluptuousness and of the arts, such as
music, poetry, and song.
This celebrated sculpture is the most beautiful
and complete representation of the deity. It was
found in the final decades of the nineteenth cen-
tury in the village of Tlalmanalco, situated within
the mountain range where the twin volcanoes
Popocatepetl (the smoking hill) and Iztaccihuatl
(the white woman) are located. These two sen-
tinels have identified the landscape of the Valley
of Mexico for many centuries. This region was the
home of an extraordinary school of sculptors who
created this masterpiece and others that survive
attest to their skill.
The figure of the deity reposes on a splendid
platform. This throne is appropriate to the exalted
position of Xochipilli by virtue of its fine detailing
and iconography. The proportions of the figure
were life-size by the standard of the people of that
era, whose bodies were about seven times the
length of their heads. The deity's legs are crossed
and both arms are flexed. The fists have openings
558 CIRCA 1492