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The morphology and the orientation of the images
The two images of Mictlantecuhtli are so similar that it is easy to confuse them. Both are anthropormorphic sculptures and are masculine (figure 11). They are hieratic representations of a complete body, whose dimensions are slightly larger than the Mexica average: 174 cm in height, 98 cm maximum width and 50 cm in depth. The body is markedly disproportionate, showing a body to head proportion of 4.5, equal to that of a child of two years. All of its constituent elements show a strict bilateral symmetry. With reference to their position, the sculptures are standing with the head to the front, the arms flexed in a forward position--showing claws in an attacking posture--and the legs straight. It should be mentioned that the torso is slightly tilted towards the front (figure 12).
As we said, the head is disproportionately large, since its height constitutes 22.5% of the total height of the image. The scalp area has tens of irregular perforations 0.5 cm in diameter. The head is distinguished by its prominent ears which project towards the sides and have perforated lobes. The face is partially defleshed. Hemispheric protuberances with smooth surfaces make up the eyes. The face has pronounced cheekbones and a nose lacking its cartilaginous tip, which leaves the bones of the nasal septum visible. While the condyles of the mandible are not perceptible because they are covered with skin, the partially open mouth shows teeth with no soft tissue. A short truncated cone makes up the neck.
The sculptures of Mictlantecuhtli have enlarged skeletal torsos composed of eight pair of ribs. At the lower end of the sternum there are two perforations where a cord was attached that held up the trilobular piece that represents the liver (composed of the right and left lobes) and the gallbladder. For its proper attachment this piece has four perforations in the upper part. From the torso emerge two massive arms so long that, if they were extended downward, they would reach below the knees. As we have said, the sculptures of Mictlantecuhtli have claws made up of five curved nails, strong and sharp. The robust hips, legs and feet contrast with the skeletal torso of the images.
The clothing is limited to a máxtlatl y un par de sandalias. The máxtlatlis not ceramic, but was fashioned from fine stucco. It is made up of a long, narrow strip, wrapped around the waist of the images and which passes between the legs. One end of the strip falls towards the front and the other towards the back. The sandals have heelstraps and are tied at the ankles with long straps.
The artistic decoration of our sculptures demands special attention. Thanks to a small amount of pigment found on the ceramic as well as on the stucco covering, we can make a hypothetical reconstruction of the original colors. Everything seems to indicate that certain parts of the body and the clothing were of the same color in both sculptures. We are referring especially to the ears, the liver, the knees and the straps of the sandals, all painted red. On the other hand the color of the face, the arms, the hips, legs and feet were different in each image: there is a clear preponderance of blue in Element 4 and of black in Element 5. We also want to point out a yellow circular mark present on the right portion of the face of Element 5.
To the reader it will be evident that all the attributes just described correspond completely with sculptural and pictographical representations of the Lord of the World of the Dead (figure 13) (figure 14) . There is not much room for confusion, given that the images of Mictlantecuhtli and of God A have stereotypical features that show little variation. Although representations of this deity as a skeletal being are very common, figures such as ours with bodies partially defleshed that are actually studies of cadavers in the process of decomposition are predominant. As a general rule, in place of the head they have a skull frequently flanked by large red ears. They have visible ribs, but the extremities still have soft tissues. Like other nocturnal, terrestrial, and underworld deities (such as Mictecacíhuatl, Coatlicue, las cihuateteo, Itzpapálotl and the other tzitzimime), ferocious claws take the place of hands and, occasionally, feet. The claws of these deities have been linked with various mythological and real animals.
Yellow circles, such as we find on the face of one of our sculptures (Element 5), are attributes peculiar to Mictlantecuhtli. Frequently they are represented in the codices as yellow spots with red dots, symbols of bony and bloody material. As far as dress is concerned, Mictlantecuhtli is normally seen with sandals with heelstraps and a máxtlatl with one end toward the front and the other towards the rear.
In pictographs of the Gods of Death other distinctive attributes appear that we do not find in the sculptures of the House of the Eagles. Nevertheless, one cannot discard the idea that they may have once had them and that, because they were made of perishable material, they have disappeared with the passage of time. The most evident case is the curly black hair that characterizes not only Mictlantecuhtli, but also the cihuateteo, the tzitzimime and other nocturnal deities. As we said earlier, our images have many perforations in the head, where natural hair and probably other elements, such "starry eyes" and paper banners, must have been inserted. Likewise we can imagine that the two sculptures may have originally had circular earspools with paper decorations in both the front and the back in the form of rosettes, flags and streamers of white paper.
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Investigacíon | Bibliography | Documentation | Urban| TemporalLast Modified: November 30, 2000
Museo del Templo Mayor, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e História, México.
Seminario #8, Centro Histórico, Cuauhtémoc, México, D.F. 06060
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