Xicalcoliuhqui

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Variations on the xicalcoliuhqui or "step-fret" motif in the mosaics at Mitla. 12-05oaxaca077.jpg
Variations on the xicalcoliuhqui or "step-fret" motif in the mosaics at Mitla.

Xicalcoliuhqui (also referred to as a "step fret" or "stepped fret" design and greca in Spanish) is a common motif in Mesoamerican art. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is composed of three or more steps connected to a hook or spiral, reminiscent of a "greek-key" meander. [5] Pre-Columbian examples may be found on everything from jewelry, masks, ceramics, sculpture, textiles and featherwork to painted murals, codices and architectural elements of buildings. [6] [7] [8] The motif has been in continual use from the pre-Columbian era to the present. [2] [9]

Contents

The xicalcoliuhqui motif can be seen in both the pectoral band and headdress of this statue of a performer from Veracruz. Mexican - Ritual Performer - Walters 20092048 - Three Quarter Left.jpg
The xicalcoliuhqui motif can be seen in both the pectoral band and headdress of this statue of a performer from Veracruz.

Connotations

The word xicalcoliuhqui (Nahuatl pronunciation: [ʃikaɬkoˈliʍki] ) means "twisted gourd" (xical- "gourdbowl" and coliuhqui "twisted") in Nahuatl. [1] [2] [10] The motif is associated with many ideas, and is variously thought to depict water, waves, clouds, lightning, a serpent or serpent-deity like the mythological fire or feathered serpents, as well as more philosophical ideas like cyclical movement, or the life-giving connection between the light of the sun and the earth, and it may have been a protection against death, but no single meaning is universally accepted. [2] [6] [9] It is also possible that the motif represents the cut conch shell which is an emblem of Ehecatl, the wind god, an aspect of Quetzalcoatl. [6] [11] It seems likely that the multivalent nature of the symbol gave rise to its potency and longevity. [6]

Xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, the stepped-fret shield

Codex Mendoza Folio 67 recto. The warrior on the bottom right carries a xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, a stepped-fret shield. Codex Mendoza folio 67r.jpg
Codex Mendoza Folio 67 recto. The warrior on the bottom right carries a xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, a stepped-fret shield.

Xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, are shields featuring a single iteration of the stepped fret motif which were painted or covered with featherwork. [4] They are depicted frequently in the Codex Mendoza, and many other central Mexican codices, usually with the xicalcoliuhqui design shown in yellow and green. [2]

Architectural embellishments

The Pyramid of Niches at El Tajin. The xicalcoliuhqui motif can be found on either side of the lower portion of the stairs. PyramidNiches1.JPG
The Pyramid of Niches at El Tajín. The xicalcoliuhqui motif can be found on either side of the lower portion of the stairs.

The xicalcoliuhqui motif appears in embellishments on temples and other buildings at archaeological sites around Mexico.

References

  1. 1 2 Hernández Sánchez, Gilda. ' 'Ceramics and the Spanish Conquest: Response and Continuity of Indigenous Pottery Technology in Central Mexico' '. BRILL, 2011. ISBN   9004217452. pg 69
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Berdan, Frances and Anawalt, Patricia Rieff. ‘ ‘Codex Mendoza: Four-Volume Set’ ‘. University of California Press, 1992. ISBN   0520908694. pg 190, 193
  3. ↑ Nicholson, H. B. The Mixteca-Puebla Concept Revisited. The Art and Iconography of Late Post-Classic Central Mexico: A Conference at Dumbarton Oaks, October 22nd and 23rd, 1977 ed. Boone, Elizabeth Hill. Dumbarton Oaks, 1982. ISBN   0884021106. pg 229.
  4. 1 2 Pohl, John. Aztec Warrior: AD1325-1521. Osprey Publishing, 2012 ISBN   1780967578 pg 20, 22.
  5. ↑ Enciso, Jorge. ‘ ‘Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico’ ‘ Courier Corporation, 1953. ISBN   0486200841 pg. 21-30
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sharp, Rosemary. Chacs and Chiefs: The Iconology of Mosaic Stone Sculpture in Pre-conquest Yucatán, Mexico, Issues 24-28. Dumbarton Oaks, 1981. ISBN   0884020991 pg. 6-10.
  7. ↑ Bernal, Ignacio. The Olmec World. University of California Press, 1969. ISBN   0520028910 pg 166.
  8. ↑ de la Fuente, Beatriz. La pintura mural prehispánica en México, Volume 1. UNAM, 1995. ISBN   9683647421. pg. 103
  9. 1 2 Montón-Subías, Sandra and Sánchez Romero, Margarita. Engendering social dynamics: the archaeology of maintenance activities. British Archaeological Reports British Series, Volume 1862. Archaeopress, 2008. ISBN   1407303457. pg ii
  10. ↑ de Sahagún, Fray Bernardino. ‘ ‘Primeros Memoriales’ ‘ ed. Sullivan, Thelma D. et al. University of Oklahoma Press, 1997, pg 99
  11. ↑ McCafferty, Sharisse and McCafferty, Geoffrey G. Weaving Space: Textile Imagery and Landscape in the Mixtec Codices. Space and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology. ed Elizabeth C. Robertson University of Calgary. Archaeological Association. Conference. UNM Press, 2006. ISBN   0826340229. pg 339
  12. ↑ Mexico Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, Volume 1. Saragoza, Alex, Ambrosi, Ana Paula, Zárate, Silvia Dolores eds. ABC-CLIO, 2012. ISBN   0313349487 pg. 35.
A miniature xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, or step-fret shield from Yanhuitlan, Oaxaca. Escudo de Yanhuitlan.jpg
A miniature xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, or step-fret shield from Yanhuitlan, Oaxaca.
This page from the Matricula de tributos shows the xicalcoliuhqui motif in three places, on the xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, the shield to the right of the jaguar-warrior costume, as well as on the two bundles on the left side of the page. Matricula de tributos - 10.tif
This page from the Matrícula de tributos shows the xicalcoliuhqui motif in three places, on the xicalcoliuhqui chimalli, the shield to the right of the jaguar-warrior costume, as well as on the two bundles on the left side of the page.
An example of xicalcoliuhqui motif on the bottom left from the Codex Magliabechiano, folio 6r. Codex Magliabechiano (folio 06r).jpg
An example of xicalcoliuhqui motif on the bottom left from the Codex Magliabechiano, folio 6r.
A Xicalcoliuhqui Chimalli Xicalcoliuhqui Chimalli.svg
A Xicalcoliuhqui Chimalli
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