Seated Male Carrying Maize

1325–1521
Overall: 31.1 x 24.1 x 30.5 cm (12 1/4 x 9 1/2 x 12 in.)
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Did You Know?

Macuilxochitl is one of five gods of excess pleasure, and the punishment that follows.

Description

This figure probably represents an Aztec deity-either Macuilxochitl or Xochipilli-whose domain was beauty, the arts, and such pleasures as gameplaying, dancing, and sex. Both names include the Aztec word for "flower," and in one hand the figure holds a cone of flowers, perhaps the blossoming crown of a cactus. For the Aztecs, flowers signified beauty, refinement, and fertility in general and sexuality in particular. The burden of maize cobs on his back also may allude to his creative energies.
Seated Male Carrying Maize

Seated Male Carrying Maize

1325–1521

Central Mexico, Aztec style, 13th-16th century

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Aztec Deity

Small Scale Aztec Sculpture

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