Aztec art: power, war and deities

Aztec art : power, war and deities

Among the most emblematic pre -Columbian civilizations, Aztecs occupy a special place. Warrior people, builder of a dreaded empire, they developed a powerful, often grandiose, always symbolic art. Sculpture, codex, jewelry, architecture: each work expressed their vision of the world, deeply rooted in the sacred and domination.

Who were the Aztecs?

The Aztecs , or more exactly the Mexicans , founded their empire in the 14th century on the banks of Lake Texcoco, where the capital Tenochtitlan (today Mexico) will rise. At their peak, in the 15th century, they controlled a large part of the mesoameric until their fall in 1521 against the Spanish.

Their art reflects their political, religious and military organization. He is both imperial, sacred and functional , intended to impress, terrify or exalt the gods .

An art at the service of power

Aztec art is closely linked to imperial ideology . It glorifies:

• The power of the Tlatoani (Emperor).

• Warrior exploits.

• The cycle of life, death and cosmic renewal.

Each work carries political or religious messages. It participates in the construction of a sacred order , where the elites are placed as intermediaries between men and deities .

Large forms of Aztec art

🗿 Monumental sculpture

The Aztec sculpture is undoubtedly the most impressive by its size and its visual power . It represents:

• Dreaded gods like Huitzilopochtli (God of War) or Tlaloc (God of rain).

• Symbolic animals such as snake, eagle or jaguar.

• cut heads, torn cores, stacked skulls - so many references to bloody rituals.

👉 Major example: The Coatlicue , goddess of the earth, colossal figure with the body covered with snakes and sliced ​​hands, now kept at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

📖 Painted codex

The Aztec Codex are manuscripts illustrated on amate or skin paper. They were used to:

• Transmit dynastic and mythological history.

• Teach rites, sacrifices, religious calendars.

• Draw up tribute or tribute lists paid to the Empire.

The very stylized images work as a coded visual language , often without alphabetical text.

👉 Famous Codex: Codex Mendoza , Codex Borgia , Codex Borbonicus .

🛕 Sacred architecture

Aztecs have built imposing temples-pyramids , often on several levels. The most famous is the Templo Mayor , heart of Tenochtitlan, dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc .

These temples were the scene of spectacular human sacrifices. Their architecture was used to reproduce the cosmic mountain , axis of the world and a place of communication between the spheres.

Precious materials and objects

Aztec art was not limited to stone. It was available in many materials:

💎 Turquoise, gold and obsidian

• Turquoise was very popular for mosaics, as in ritual masks.

• Gold was used for ornaments, but less than in Incas.

• The obsidian , black and sharp volcanic stone, was used as much for weapons as for ritual objects (mirrors, sacrificial blades).

🎭 Masks

The masks were worn during religious ceremonies or deposited in the graves. They often represented:

• Gods or ancestors.

• Man-Animal hybrids.

• Stylized faces covered with mosaic of turquoise, shell, hematite, mother -of -pearl .

An art marked by blood and sacrifice

One of the most controversial aspects of Aztec art is his fascination for human sacrifice . But you should not see a simple cruelty: it was a cosmic act .

• The blood fed the gods to maintain the order of the world.

• Art immortalizes decapitation scenes, extraction of the heart or ritual combat.

Thus, Aztec aesthetics is deeply linked to death, war, and regeneration .

Aztec aesthetics: between geometry and brutality

Aztec art is distinguished by a rigorous, angular, sometimes brutal , but always highly symbolic style. He favors:

• Geometric shapes.

• Massive volumes.

• Ritual repetition of patterns.

powerful and codified art , where beauty is born from spiritual coherence more than formal sweetness.

Inheritance and museums

Despite the Spanish conquest, many Aztec objects have been preserved, often hidden or buried under the ruins of Tenochtitlan.

Today, we can admire Aztec art in:

• The National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City (essential!).

• The British Museum (masks and mosaics).

• The Quai Branly museum (ritual objects and statuettes).

Aztec art also continues to inspire contemporary artists, tattoo artists, video games, series and modern indigent movements.

Conclusion: the art of an empire, the voice of the gods

Aztec art is a world of strength, rigor and mysticism. He recounts the sacred war, the cosmic order and the divine power embodied in the emperor . Through his works, the Mexican Empire heard enemployment and terrify its enemies .

In the next article, we will explore another mysterious civilization: the Olmecs , considered as the "ancient masters" of mesoameric.

Photo credit: by El Comandante-Personal work, CC by-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7631654