What if a pot could be read like a book?
In the second part of their journey through Mesoamerica, Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh travel to the great ancient city of Cholula – a bustling centre of trade, pilgrimage and cultural exchange – to explore the extraordinary ceramics of the Mixtec-Puebla tradition.
Painted with gods, symbols and intricate bands of imagery, these highly prized vessels transformed clay into a sophisticated visual language that could communicate across cultures and linguistic barriers. From stories of warfare and sacrifice to sunlight, death and the worship of the gods, they reveal a world in which ceramics could be read as well as admired.
Traded across vast distances, these remarkable pots offer a glimpse into the beliefs, rituals and interconnected cultures of Mesoamerica – and lead us towards the rise of the Aztec Empire.
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction: Mesoamerica - Mixtec Puebla: When Pots Told Stories
00:02:36 The Great City of Cholula: A Multi-Ethnic Trading Hub
00:05:44 Writing on Clay: Vessels as Visual Language
00:08:22 High-Value Commodities: Ritual Vessels and Elite Status
00:09:57 The Codex Style: Pictorial Manuscripts on Pottery
00:11:20 Forms and Materials: Earthenware Goblets and Burnished Surfaces
00:12:52 The Iconic Principle: Symbols for Gods and Rituals
00:14:35 Sacrifice, Duality, and the Pantheon of Gods
00:17:12 Color as Communication: Orange for Light, Black for Darkness
00:18:48 The Notational Principle: Bands That Resemble Speech
00:20:58 Reading the Bands: From Solar Gods to Darkness and Death
00:23:57 Narrative-Driven Culture: Pots That Tell Stories
00:25:54 Legacy and Connection: Linking to the Aztec Empire
Featured Images:
Map of Mixteca-Puebla and Mesoamerica, Creative Commons
Map of Cholula
George Vaillant, archaeologist, ca. 1937, Creative Commons, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clapp_Vaillant#/media/File:AMNH_staff,_1937.jpg
Pyramids of the Sun, Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan, Mexico, by Burkhard Mücke created by SA CC 4.0
Map of Cholula, Ttlaxcala, 1581
Pyramid of Cholula, Ca. 1813, Alexander von Humboldt
Pedestal Bowl, 1300–1500 CE, Mixtec artists, The Met Collection, Public Domain
Vessel with Codex-Style Scenes, Creative Commons,
Mixteca-Puebla Pottery Vessel, c. 1300–1521,
Codex Borgia, from the 1898 Faximilie Edition, Public Domain, Creative Commons
Bowl, 1200–1400, Mixtec, Oaxaca, Mexico, National Gallery of Victoria, Public Domain
Pedestal Cup from Cholula, c. 1350–1521, Public Domain, Leo Stein Collection, National Museum of the American Indian, New York.
Thematic Complexes on Codex-Style Vessels from Cholula, Mixteca-Puebla, Americae, Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Tripod Vase Polichrome Ceramic, 1300–1521
Bowl with Rattle Base, c. 900–1519, Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain
Censer with the Complex of Powerful Lords and Deities, Mixteca-Puebla, Americae, Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Codex, 1200–1521, Mixteca
Whistle with the Maize God emerging from the Flower, 600 – 900 CE, The Met Collection, Public Domain
Cholula-Style Ceramic Goblet with Skeletal Serpent and Mountain Sign, Mixteca-Puebla, 1300 – 1500 CE
Rain God Mask, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Met Collection, Public Domain
Sun and Light Painted on Middle Polychrome Plate,
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Polychrome Figural Vessel of Chicomecoatl, c. 1000–1500, Mixteca-Puebla
Goblet with a Complex of Darkness, Ca. 1300 – 1500,
Mixtec Goblet, Ca. 1000 – 1500
Polychrome Ceramic Bowl, 800–1300, Mexico, Penn Museum, Public Domain
Pulque Drinking Cup, 900–1519, Cholula, Mixteca-Puebla style, Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain
Montezuma in the Codex Mendoza, 16th century, Creative Commons, Public Domain
Mixteca-Puebla Pottery Vessel, c. 1300–1521, The Met Collection, Public Domain,
Credits:
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Editor: Dennis Caouki
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
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