Archaeologists working at a Mexican holy web site thought they have been rediscovering a misplaced picture of the Virgin Mary. However Mary by no means wore a feather plume, and rarely was she depicted inside purple circles. The pre-Hispanic mural turned out to be a illustration of a Mesoamerican protect, associated to the Aztec god of alcohol and drunkenness Tepoztecatl!

Valeria López Mancera throughout restoration work of the pre-Hispanic portray on the Convent of Tepoztlán. (Jose Morales / INAH)

Aztec Mural Discovered on Convent Facade

Tepoztlán metropolis is situated within the Mexican state of Morelos, to the south of Mexico Metropolis, inside El Tepozteco Nationwide Park. That is the legendary birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec divine feathered serpent. In historic occasions this web site was dominated by the Aztec Tepozteco pyramid that was constructed on a dramatic cliff prime above the city.

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The previous Dominican monastery, the Tepoztlán Ex-Convento de la Natividad (Convent of Tepoztlán), was constructed between 1555 and 1580 AD. Devoted to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Travel by Mexico defined that this “Dominican Temple has a big atrium, an open chapel, chapel posas or quadrangular vaulted constructions situated on the fringe of the courtyard, the church, and convent.”

In 1993, INAH archaeologists started restoring the convent facade which depicts the Virgin Mary, Fray Domingo de Guzman (founding father of the order of Dominica) and Saint Catherine of Siena. Nearly 30 years later, INAH introduced {that a} group of researchers had made a highly-unexpected discovery. Painted on the partitions of three poza chapels they discovered “uncommon pre-Hispanic iconography” linked to an Aztec god!

Archaeologists throughout excavation work on the Convent of Tepoztlán the place they uncovered pre-Hispanic portray. (Frida Mateos / INAH)

The excavation was funded by the UNESCO World Heritage Listing as a part of the First Popocatépetl Monasteries mission. Frida Itzel Mateos González, the mission chief, defined that the researchers had undertaken restoration of a number of artworks, together with mural work and carved stones.

In accordance with the INAH report, the researchers first eliminated a number of layers of lime that lined the work in Chapel 4. To their shock, they found “a well-preserved purple circle” relationship again to the early sixteenth century. The circle measured 11 centimeters (4,33 in.) thick and simply over a meter (39,37 in.) in diameter. These dimensions match these of a sixteenth century Marian protect that was additionally painted within the Posa chapels.

The researchers mentioned the purple circle was painted freehand with diluted purple paint earlier than it was then stuffed with glazes. The group subsequent charted a sequence of triangles which they incorrectly assumed have been a part of the “crown or splendor of the Virgin Mary.” Nevertheless, it was quickly realized that this was really a plume of feathers like that seen in lots of Aztec murals!

Restoration work happening on the pre-Historic portray found in Mexico. (Jose Morales / INAH)

Historical Chimalli – A Pre-Hispanic Protect

Additionally painted inside the purple circle was a wand with flowers and a tepoztli (ax). This was no Christian panel, however an historic chimalli, the standard defensive armament of the indigenous states of Mesoamerica, which have been typically embellished with feathers, jade strings and seashells.

The archaeologists mentioned the painted chimalli “connects the present inhabitants of Tepoztlán with their ancestry.” Moreover, their report claimed that the portray was proof of “transformations of Tepoztecan society.” The Art Newspaper highlighted that “it’s potential that the brand new discover pertains to Tepoztecatl” the Aztec god of pulque, an alcoholic Aztec drink, who was worshiped on the close by El Tepozteco web site. Tepoztecatl was additionally the god of drunkenness and fertility.

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The INAH archaeologists said {that a} comparable circle seems on the partitions of Chapels 2 and three on the Convent of Tepoztlán. This repeated utilization of the identical indigenous picture, and in a single occasion proper beside an anagram of the Virgin Mary in a Christian constructing, has raised the query – what’s a mural linked to the Aztec god of alcohol and drunkenness doing in a 16 ^th century Christian church?

Prime picture: Hand-drawn illustration superimposed over a photograph of the pre-Hispanic portray. Supply: Frida Mateos / INAH

By Ashley Cowie