At the heart of the Aztec Empire stood one of the most extraordinary cities in the ancient world – Tenochtitlan, built on an island and filled with temples, warriors, craftsmen and gods.
Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh explore the ceramics of the Aztecs, or Mexica, from beautifully made redware used for everyday food to extraordinary effigy vessels and monumental terracotta figures created for ritual and sacrifice. Through objects including the Eagle Warrior and the terrifying Lord of the Underworld, they uncover a world in which clay connected daily life with mythology, warfare, nature and the supernatural.
Finally, they explore the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and the devastating collapse of the Aztec Empire – and ask what its surviving ceramics can reveal about a civilisation whose influence can still be felt today.
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction: Mesoamerica - The Aztecs: Clay, Gods and Sacrifice
00:00:41 The Mexica People and the Founding of Tenochtitlan
00:04:06 Engineering Marvels: Chinampa Agriculture and City Planning
00:07:16 Trade Networks and the Spanish Conquest
00:08:31 Domestic Redwares: Pottery for Daily Life
00:12:57 The Symbolic Power of Red: Blood, Sun, and Warfare
00:13:54 Templo Mayor: The Sacred Heart of the Empire
00:16:22 Tlaloc the Rain God: Turquoise Effigy Vessels
00:20:08 Animal Symbolism: Vessels as Gods and Creatures
00:22:28 The Eagle Warrior: Life-Size Ceramic Sculpture
00:26:39 The Lord of the Underworld: Terror in Clay
00:28:40 Sacrifice and Ceremony: Clay as Ritual Mediator
00:31:53 The Spanish Arrival and Cultural Devastation
00:37:35 Legacy: The Aztec Influence on Modern Life
Featured Images:
Codex Bourgia, c.16th century, Public Domain, Creative Commons
Map Aztex Empire, Public Domain, Creative Commons
Image of Eagle, Mendoza Codex, c.1541, Public Domain
Map of Tenochtitlan, ca. 1524, Public Domain
Model of Sacred Precincts in Tenochtitlan
Capital City of Tenochtitlan
Axtec Redware Bowl, c.15th-16th century, The Met Collection, Public Domain
Eagle Warrior from the Hosue of Eagles, ca. 1400-152, Photograph by Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Vessel with Codex style ca.1350-1500, Public Domain
Image of Eagle, Mendoza Codex, c.1541, Public Domain
Aztec bowl, Public Domain
Aztec redware pitcher, 15-16th century, Public Domain
Aztec Bowl with Monkeys, 1400-1521, Public Domain
Aztec Bowl, Public Domain
Ceramic Tilaloc Effigy Vessel c.1440-1470
Vulture Vessel, c.1200-1521, The Met Collection, Public Domain
Warrior Codex Menoza, ca. 1541-1542, Public Domain
Lifesize Terracotta of Mictlantecuhtli, ca.1400-1521
Painting depicting the Fall of Tenochtitlan, second half of the 17th century, unknown artist. Wikimedia Commons.
Credits:
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Editor: Sam Bond
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks
