On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Pair of Pear-Shaped Bell Pendants
Not on view
Excavations at the Templo Mayor have unearthed gold ornaments associated with the Mexica Moon Goddess, Coyolxauhqui. According to myth, her brother Huitzilopochtli, the Sun God and patron deity of the Mexica, was born fully armed and slayed his four hundred siblings. This battle signified the cosmological struggle between the moon and the sun, and it also had political overtones, as Coyolxauhqui represented the vanquished enemy and served as a warning to those who challenged the Aztecs.
Las excavaciones del Templo Mayor han permitido desenterrar ornamentos de oro asociados con la diosa mexica Coyolxauhqui. Dos pendientes (cascabeles) en forma de pera aluden a las mejillas de la diosa, mientras que sus orejeras características representan la cola de Xiuhcoatl, la mitológica serpiente de fuego. El corazón elaborado con hoja de oro fue intencionalmente torcido, posiblemente para indicar la naturaleza mala o perversa de la diosa. Las puntas de obsidiana de proyectiles y cuchillos de sílex acompañaban a los ornamentos de Coyolxauhqui, marcando así su derrota.
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