DECEMBER, 17 1790: THE STONE OF THE FIVE ERAS

The Sun Stone or The Stone of the Five Eras

The Sun Stone, Stone of the Five Eras, or sometimes called Aztec calendar stone is a late post-classic Mexica sculpture housed in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, and is perhaps the most famous work of Aztec sculpture. 

The stone is 358 centimetres in diameter and 98 centimetres thick, and it weighs about 24 tons. Shortly after the Spanish conquest, the monolithic sculpture was buried in the Zócalo, or main square of Mexico City. It was rediscovered on December 17, 1790 during repairs on the Mexico City Cathedral.

Following its rediscovery, the calendar stone was mounted on an exterior wall of the Cathedral, where it remained until 1885. Most scholars think that the stone was carved some time between 1502 and 1521, though some believe that it is several decades older than that.

More information: Museo Nacional de Antropología, México DF

The sculpted motifs that cover the surface of the stone refer to central components of the Mexica cosmogony. In the center of the monolith is the face of the solar deity, Tonatiuh, which appears inside the glyph for movement, Nahuatl: ollin, the name of the current era. The central figure is shown holding a human heart in each of his clawed hands, and his tongue is represented by a stone sacrificial knife (Tecpatl).

Jacqueline Kennedy and The Sun Stone, 1962

The four squares that surround the central deity represent the four previous suns or eras, which preceded the present era, 4 Movement, Nahuatl: Nahui Ollin. Each era ended with the destruction of the world and humanity, which were then recreated in the next era.

The top right square represents 4 Jaguar, Nahuatl: Nahui Ocelotl, the day on which the first era ended, after having lasted 676 years, due to the appearance of monsters that devoured all of humanity.

The top left square shows 4 Wind, Nahuatl: Nahui Ehecatl, the date on which, after 364 years, hurricane winds destroyed the earth, and humans were turned into monkeys.

The bottom left square shows 4 Rain, Nahuatl: Nahui Quiahuitl. This era lasted 312 years, before being destroyed by a rain of fire, which transformed humanity into turkeys.

The bottom right square represents 4 Water, Nahuatl: Nahui Atl, an era that lasted 676 years and ended when the world was flooded and all the humans were turned into fish.

More information: Secretaría de Cultura, México DF

Placed among these four squares are three additional dates, 1 Flint, 1 Rain, and 7 Monkey, and a Xiuhuitzolli, or ruler's turquoise diadem, glyph. It has been suggested that these dates may have had both historical and cosmic significance, and that the diadem may form part of the name of the Mexica ruler Moctezuma II.

The exact purpose and meaning of the Calendar Stone are unclear. Archaeologists and historians have proposed numerous theories, and it is likely that there are several aspects to its interpretation.

Joseph visiting The Stone of the Five Eras

The earliest interpretations of the stone relate to its use as a calendar. 

In 1792, two years after the stone's unearthing, Mexican anthropologist Antonio de León y Gama wrote a treatise on the Aztec calendar using the stone as its basis. Some of the circles of glyphs are the glyphs for the days of the month. Some of the symbols may represent the five ages that the Mexica believed the earth had passed through.

Another aspect of the stone is its religious significance. One theory is that the face at the center of the stone represents Tonatiuh, the Aztec deity of the sun. It is for this reason that the stone became known as the Sun Stone. Richard Townsend proposed a different theory, claiming that the figure at the centre of the stone represents Tlaltecuhtli, the Mexica earth deity who features in Mexica creation myths. Modern archaeologists, such as those at the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, believe it is more likely to have been used primarily as a ceremonial basin or ritual altar for gladiatorial sacrifices, than as an astrological or astronomical reference.

More information: The Aztec History

Yet another characteristic of the stone is its possible geographic significance. The four points may relate to the four corners of the earth or the cardinal points. The inner circles may express space as well as time.

Lastly, there is the political aspect of the stone. It may have been intended to show Tenochtitlan as the center of the world and therefore, as the center of authority.

 When you think about archaeology, archaeology is the only field 

that allows us to tell the story of 99 percent of our history prior to 3,000 B.C. and writing. 

Sarah Parcak