Montezuma's headdress

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Moctezuma's headdress
Museum of Ethnology, Vienna
, Austria
Identification10402VO
Late 17th-century portrayal of Moctezuma II, wearing a xiuhhuitzolli, which was the royal crown used by Mexica emperors.[1]

Moctezuma's headdress is a

Weltmuseum Wien
, and is a source of dispute between Austria and Mexico, as no similar pieces remain in Mexico.

Description

The feathers of the piece have deteriorated over the centuries. It is 116 cm (46 in) high and 175 cm (69 in) across and has the form of concentric layers of different colored feathers arranged in a semicircle. The smallest is made from blue feathers of the

Cotinga amabilis (xiuhtōtōtl) with small plates of gold in the shapes of half moons. Behind this is a layer of Roseate spoonbill (tlāuhquechōlli) feathers, then small quetzal feathers, then a layer of white-tipped red-brown feathers of the squirrel cuckoo
, Piaya cayana, with three bands of small gold plates, and finally two of 400 closely spaced quetzal tail feathers, some 55 cm (22 in) long. The quetzal feathers in the center of the headdress are raised relative to the sides. Leather straps attach the crown to the head of the wearer.

Xocotlhuetzi
.

Though it likely served as a headdress, it has also been identified in other ways. As a headdress, its appearance matches that which is seen in contemporary

Axayácatl is depicted during the Battle of Tlatelolco wearing a quetzal-feathered battle standard and some sort of large device in the back, both of which have a similar appearance. In all situations, it appears that the object is associated with the deity Quetzalcoatl. Regardless, there is no direct evidence which suggests that it actually belonged to Moctezuma.[1]

History

Modern reproduction of Moctezuma's headdress, in the Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico City

Although attributed to Moctezuma and the Spanish conquest, the provenance of the piece is unattested, and it does not match Aztec illustrations of the headdress of their nobility. It became an object of interest to European researchers such as

Quetzalcoatl and Ehecatl
.

Although artifact exchanges and

restitution of the headdress were negotiated with the Mexican government, a bilateral expert commission deemed the artifact too fragile for transport and thus recommended its remaining in Vienna.[6] In 2020, the Mexican government asked again for the restitution of the headdress.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9781607322412
    .
  2. ^ Johnson, Kayla (2021-08-17). "Austria Should Repatriate the Mexica Headdress". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  3. ^ Rodríguez, Ana Mónica. "El penacho de Moctezuma es una capa de sacerdote, afirma un investigador", La Jornada, versión electrónica Archived 2009-06-08 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Zelia Nuttall:Sur le quetzal-apanecaiotl ou coiffure Mexicaine en plumes conservée à Vienne. En: Congrès International des Américanistes, Paris 1890. Paris 1892. S. 453-459
  5. ^ "Mexico and Austria in dispute over Aztec headdress". prehist.org. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  6. ISSN 1134-6582
    . Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  7. ^ "Cómo terminó en Austria el penacho de Moctezuma que AMLO reclama al país europeo". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-12.

External links

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