The Aztec Sun Stone...

My good friend asked me the other day when and where the Aztec Sun Stone was found. So for this blog entry I decided to post a picture of the sun stone and some brief information. Please feel free to add to this. Due to time constraints I will keep the blogs as short and concise as possible.

The stone was unearthed in 1790 beneath what is now the Zocalo (plaza) in present day Mexico City. Some people refer to it as a calendar because it bares the glyphs of 20 days. Others call it the sun stone because its central figure is said to be that of Tonatiuh, the sun god. Scholars say the center figure is Tlaltecuhtli the earth monster. I agree with all of these interpretations and consider it to be a monument of how the Aztec portrayed their circumstances and coming of age. It’s a beautiful piece and luckily for us it’s well preserved and fore the most part - complete. The stone is 12’ in diameter and 4’ in thickness, it weights almost 25 tons.


The Aztec Sun Stone - NMofA, September, 2006
Picture By: Santiago Andres Garcia