Burning offerings to the gods, an Aztec brazier of Chicomecoatl

(jazzy piano music)

- [Steven] We're in the
National Museum of Anthropology

in Mexico City, looking at one of four

large ceramic braziers,

vessels that were containers for burning.

This one represents a goddess
associated with maize,

with ripe corn.

- [Lauren] The one we're
looking at is Chicomecoatl,

or Seven Serpent.

And she is a very popular deity

in the Aztec or Mexica pantheon.

And we see her not only in ceramic,

but also in stone sculpture.

- [Steven] The association
with maize is immediate.

We can see that she's framing her face

with four ears of corn.

But this is such a
wonderfully dense sculpture.

- [Lauren] Beyond
holding the ears of corn,

which I should note are
red and dark blue or black,

making reference to the
different types of maize,

we see her face here behind the corn,

her eyes painted looking out at us,

her mouth open with these large ear spools

and then framed by this fantastic

and very elaborate headdress.

- [Steven] Well, we know
that costume was tremendously

important for the Aztecs, and
this is a great example of it.

We can see, for instance,
four circles that would,

in physical costume,
have been pleated paper.

- [Lauren] Exactly, and so
while all of this is in ceramic

it's referencing the
types of ritual regalia

that would have been used.

- [Steven] And this is exceptional
because we have so much

of the polychrome, that is of the paint,

of the color, that still survives.

We can see reds and blues
and whites and blacks.

- [Lauren] Which are some
of the primary colors

that you see in Aztec art.

And what's wonderful here is
not only that we have this

elaborate headdress fairly intact,

but also the rest of her
costume, like her skirt.

In this very rectangular
block-like construction,

much of the polychrome still exists

where we have these red bands.

- [Steven] It reminds me of architecture.

It seems as if the
headdress is so elaborate,

it is as if she is wearing a building.

- [Lauren] They're almost obscuring

or really downplaying the face.

- [Steven] Although
the face is so present,

she's coming out at us
with a kind of intensity

that captures my attention.

- [Lauren] This particular
face would have emphasized

this experience that one
would have if you were to walk

into a temple and to
see an object like this

that's emitting burning
materials in its body.

- [Steven] And the
smoke would be rising up

from behind this, it would have
been tremendously dramatic.

Corn is so central to the development

of Mesoamerican culture

- [Lauren] Maize is the staple food crop.

And that is very true
of the Aztecs as well,

because we don't only see
this particular goddess

whose name again is Seven Serpent

or Chicomecoatl in Nahuatl,

but we see other versions
of maze deities like Xilonen

who is the maize goddess
affiliated with young corn.

And we even see corn in a
variety of other objects

because as the cornerstone of the diet,

it also became invested

with these important sacred meanings.

- [Steven] And the cobs themselves

are so beautifully articulated.

And it reminds me of so
many other sculptures

by the Aztecs of other foodstuffs.

In the same gallery this marvelous

representation of a squash.

And corn and squash together with beans

create a perfect protein.

- [Lauren] And so if we're
talking about this deity

within the religious
practices of the Aztecs,

they had a very active ritual calendar.

And many of these monthly
festivals would revolve

around maze deities,
including Seven Serpent here.

- [Steven] And it would've
been on those feast days

that corn would have been enjoyed.

- [Lauren] And so there would
have been special tamales

distributed to people to be
eaten during these festivals

as a very potent, very
sensual in terms of using many

different senses, reminder
of the centrality of maize.

(jazzy piano music)