A Sacrificial Graphic Pattern? Analysis of the “Curved Like Obsidian” Pattern in Images of Itztlacoliuhqui and Other Nahua Gods

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Sacrificial and Autosacrifice Instruments in Mesoamerica: Symbolism and Technology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the meaning encoded in the "curved like obsidian" graphic pattern present in the cap and face of Itztlacoliuhqui, the Nahua god of frost. Though supposedly it is a pattern that encodes "obsidian," the sacrificial obsidian knives are painted in a different way. On the other hand, some more deities or beings have the same pattern painted on their faces, so, according to the rules of the construction of gods in pre-Hispanic Central Mexico, it indicates that they share common feature(s) or function(s), that in this case seems to be connected with sacrifice. Itztlacoliuhqui is also a sacrificed god, and one of his manifestations is in the form of a mortuary bundle. The meaning of the pattern and related subjects will be explored mainly on the basis of analysis of representations of gods in divinatory Central Mexican codices, particularly in the so-called Borgia Group.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Sacrificial and Autosacrifice Instruments in Mesoamerica: Symbolism and Technology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40062.0