Coronation Stone of Moctezuma Xocoyotzin

c. 1503

This stone, commemorating the beginning of Emperor Motecuhzoma II's reign, was originally located within the ritual center of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the empire conquered by the Aztecs between 1428 and 1519. The city's ruins lie beneath modern-day Mexico City. The sculpture legitimizes Motecuhzoma’s rule as part of the cosmic cycle and presents him as heir to the world in the present era of creation.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Maker unknown (Mexica, Aztec) Probably Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), Mexico

Date

c. 1503

Medium

Basalt

Dimensions

67.4 × 57.8 × 22.9 cm (26 1/2 × 22 3/4 × 9 in.)

Origin

Tenochtitlan

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Major Acquisitions Fund