Chicomecoatl goddess

1325–1521 CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 360
Among the many female deities worshipped by the Aztecs, those responsible for agricultural fertility held a prominent place. This sculpture depicts Chicomecoátl (seven serpents), a goddess of sustenance, especially of edible plants and corn. She is shown standing on bare feet wearing a long skirt held in place with a belt, and holding in her right hand two maize ears. Her head and most of her body are covered by a towering quadrangular headdress adorned with twisted elements across the front and rosettes at the corners. Taller than the figure itself, the headdress is known as amacalli ("paper house"); it is the most typical attribute of the corn goddess. During Aztec religious rituals, actual "paper house" headdresses were elaborate constructions made of brightly colored stiff bark paper. They were worn by corn goddess impersonators.

The sculpture is carved from a narrow stone slab in a flat, angular style. The only projecting, rounded forms are the cobs and the figure's face, which peers out from the opening in the headdress as if looking through the open door of a house front.

Small fertility figures, often artistically undistinguished, were mass produced during Aztec times and probably served as household idols.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Chicomecoatl goddess
  • Artist: Mexica artist(s)
  • Date: 1325–1521 CE
  • Geography: Mexico, Mesoamerica
  • Culture: Mexica (Aztec)
  • Medium: Basalt
  • Dimensions: H. 14 in. × W. 7 1/8 in. × D. 3 1/2 in. (35.6 × 18.1 × 8.9 cm)
  • Classification: Stone-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Museum Purchase, 1900
  • Object Number: 00.5.51
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.