Stone of Motecuhzoma I

The Stone of Motecuhzoma I was discovered in July 1988 under the colonial Archbishop's palace, or Palacio del Arzobispado, on Moneda Street in modern-day Mexico City. For this reason, the stone is sometimes referred to as the Archbishop's Stone. Built shortly after the Spanish destroyed the center of Tenochtitlan, the palace rested on many valuable pre-Columbian artifacts. The Palacio del Arzobispado was built in 1530 under the direction of Spanish Friar Juan de Zumárraga on the base of the destroyed Temple of Tezcatlipoca. The stone was unearthed during excavations under the palace, and immediately drew comparisons to the already-known Stone of Tizoc and Calendar Stone for its large size and circular shape. Originally, the stone lay in front of the Temple of Tezcatlipoca. This placement was intentional — on the side panels of the stone, Motecuhzoma I is dressed as Tezcatlipoca dominating his enemies in battle. Currently, the stone is on display in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. ==Iconography==

Upper face The stone is approximately 12 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall, and was intended to be placed face-up. The solar disc on the upper face has a circular basin in the center, inside of which is the face of the sun deity Toniatuh, wearing his characteristic headdress. Toniatuh's mouth is open, and the tongue (now broken off) was intended to stick out in the form of a sacrificial knife. The protruding tongue was used as a crosspiece to tie sacrificial victims to. In each panel, Motecuhzoma I is dressed as Tezcatlipoca and grasps his enemy's hair, symbolizing subjugation. In the panel with the glyph for Chalco, the sun's ray also points to the Mexica emblem for Tlaltoani. This panel is significant as it allows scholars to attribute the stone to Motecuhzoma I. Throughout the 14th and early 15th centuries, the Chalca and the Aztecs fought the flower wars over the Chalca territory. Chalco was finally conquered by the Aztecs in 1465 under the reign of Motecuhzoma I. == Ritual uses ==

The temalacatl are well-documented in historical texts as platforms for prisoners to engage in gladiatorial combat. Wounded warriors captured during Motecuhzoma I's conquests were likely sacrificed on the top of the stone. Friar Diego Durán seconds this account, writing that the Tlaltoani Motecuhzoma I invited common people from all over the valley of Mexico to attend the ceremonies. According to his accounts, a supply of "84,000 victims" (almost certainly an exaggeration intended to indicate an unlimited supply) captured from enemy populations were sacrificed over a period of four days, at the end of which "the temples and the entire city were covered by streams of blood." Furthermore, the stone was once painted entirely red, the color associated with Tezcatlipoca and the Eastern part of the Universe. The gladiators' blood was used to feed the representation of the sun in the center, to appease the gods and ensure that the sun would continue moving. == Comparison to other monuments ==

According to Templo Mayor archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, there are two types of Aztec sculptures bearing the sun on top: Calendar Stones, and stones bearing carved scenes of military conquest around the edges. The Stone of Motecuhzoma I belongs to this second group, the temalácatl associated with gladiator sacrifice. The Stone of Tizoc is perhaps the best-known example of this, sharing many of the same iconographical features with the Stone of Motecuhzoma I. However, while the Stone of Motecuhzoma I depicts the Tlaloani (Motecuhzoma I) as Tezcatlipoca, the Stone of Tizoc depicts its Tlaolani (Tizoc) as Huitzilopochtli. These two stones also share features with the famous Aztec Calendar Stone, also known as the Sun Stone. Like the two temalácatl, this stone is a large, round monolith with a solar carving on the top. All three monoliths were likely used as sacrificial stones to ensure the continued movement of the sun. However, the Aztec Calendar Stone has a key feature that neither of the others does: a calendar. The Stone of Moctezuma I and Stone of Tizoc are both well-documented in historical sources. These sources also mention many other temalacatl that have yet to be discovered. ==References==