Piedra del Sol

E52775

Piedra del Sol is a monumental Aztec basalt sculpture, often called the Aztec Sun Stone, renowned for its intricate calendrical and cosmological carvings.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Aztec sculpture
Mesoamerican monument
archaeological artifact
monolithic sculpture
alsoKnownAs Aztec Sun Stone
Stone of the Five Eras
artStyle Aztec monumental art
associatedRuler Moctezuma II
city Mexico City
civilization Mexica
country Mexico
culture Aztec civilization
dateOfCreation circa 1502–1521
early 16th century
dateOfDiscovery 1790
depicts Four previous cosmic eras
Tonatiuh
Xiuhcoatl (fire serpents)
diameter about 3.6 meters
discoveredDuring repaving of Mexico City’s main square in 1790
featuredOn Mexican currency (historical issues)
function calendrical reference
cosmological representation
ritual and symbolic monument
height about 3.6 meters in diameter
heritage Mexican national symbol
iconography 20 day signs of the Aztec calendar
central face often identified as Tonatiuh
four previous suns (eras) around central face
solar rays and fire serpents
influenced modern Mexican national identity
inscriptionType calendrical symbols
location National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
material basalt
museumCollection National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico)
originalLocation Templo Mayor precinct, Tenochtitlan
period Late Postclassic Mesoamerica
placeOfDiscovery Plaza Mayor, Mexico City
Zócalo, Mexico City
region Central Mexico
religion Aztec religion
subjectOf extensive archaeological research
iconographic and calendrical debates
theme cosmology
sun worship
time and calendar
thickness about 1.2 meters
weight about 24 metric tons
writingSystem Aztec pictographic symbols

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
National Museum of Anthropology
National Museum of Anthropology ("Aztec calendar stone")
hasPart
Piedra del Sol ("Aztec Sun Stone")
alsoKnownAs
National Museum of Anthropology ("Aztec calendar stone")
notableWork

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