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Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Chicomecoatl, The Maize Goddess
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
© Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. All rights reserved.

Chicomecoatl, The Maize Goddess

Artist/Maker (Central Valley, Mexico)
Dateca. 1350-1521
Mediumbasalt
DimensionsOverall: 19 5/8 x 7 5/8 x 3 3/8 in. (49.8 x 19.4 x 8.6 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Terms
    Object number56.003.000
    DescriptionThis stone sculpture represents Chicomecoatl, the Aztec goddess of maize. Her name means “seven serpent” in Nahuatl, a reference to the day when her festival was celebrated. Within the complex maize iconography of ancient Mesoamerica, images of Chicomecoatl symbolize the ripe maize plant and the general concept of sustenance. This Chicomecoatl figure, with its perfect symmetry and calm or even static expression, is a beautiful example of Aztec sculptural values. The face of the goddess impersonator emerges from an elaborate headdress while she holds two rattles in her hands. Her dress is very simple with only a rope tied at the waist. The figure’s hands and feet are disproportionately large and carved with greater detail than the rest of the body, a common feature of Chicomecoatl representations, which were often covered in a red pigment associated with the goddess. The highly standardized form and abundance of Chicomecoatl images suggests that they were mass-produced in Aztec times and possibly used in household rituals.

    (updated 8.31.22 CS)
    On View
    Not on view
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Maya (archaeological culture)
    ca. 600-900
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 900-1100
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    ca. 450-650
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Leagros Group
    ca. 575-500 BCE