The Stuccoed and Painted Benches of Xochicalco, Morelos, Mexico

Abstract

The cultural tradition of stuccoed and polychromatic murals in central Mexico dates back to Early Classic Teotihuacan and continued into the subsequent Epiclassic period, with the stunning murals from Cacaxtla as the most famous and well-studied example. In this paper, we present three examples of stuccoed and richly painted benches or thrones from the mayor Epiclassic site of Xochicalco in the Mexican state of Morelos. A careful iconographic and epigraphic analysis of the imagery, as well as the associated hieroglyphic signs from one of the benches, leads us to suggest that these benches played a pivotal role in displaying the religious, mythological, and historical underpinnings of hierarchical power at Xochicalco. Based on comparisons with benches and seats from Classic Maya culture and, in particular, the contemporaneous Terminal Classic city of Chichen Itza, which was deeply involved in interregional relations with central Mexico, we also suggest that the Xochicalco benches may even have served as royal seats or thrones.

Crowning Rulers and Years: Interpreting the Year Sign Headdress at Teotihuacan

“…Olko (2014:41) observes that, although most commonly worn by the huey tlatoani, the xiuhhuitzolli could also appear with delegates of "royal power in military and legal domains," thus undoubtedly serving to indicate their acting on behalf of, or as an extension of, the ruler and the power and authority of the royal house. This suggestion is important, since we also have evidence to suggest that individuals wearing headdresses embodying and representing the power of institutions at Teotihuacan travelled far and wide in Mesoamerica in the Classic period (Nielsen and Helmke 2014;Nielsen et al 2019a;Taube 2011). We will return to the possible Classic-period predecessor to the xiuhhuitzolli in the second half of the paper.…”

“…As for the varying degree of complexity with which the headdress was represented, Paulinyi's (2001:24-26) hypothesis aside, we do not see sufficient evidence that the number of tassels served to indicate an internal ranking among the wearers. In fact, as demonstrated by Millon, when represented in writing, the Tassel Headdress is abbreviated to its single identifying attribute- the tassel-and in no instance does the principle of pars pro toto involve multiple tassels or a numerically significant combination of these (Helmke and Nielsen 2019a). As such, we must conclude that the number of tassels is not relevant to the signification embodied in the headdress, nor its representations in the visual arts.…”

“…Magnificent examples of this headdress appear in the Teotihuacan-style murals from El Rosario in Querétaro. Worn by warriors seemingly impersonating the Storm God, the headdresses also display impressive eagle feathers (Nielsen et al 2019a).…”

Terminal Classic Conch-Shell Gorgets from the Maya Region and Central Mexico

“…The second work is an eleventh-century, stuccoed stone bench (designated K2) at Xochicalco, Morelos. A painted scene on the front of the bench depicts an assembly of people with incense bags and handled ollas seated on either side of a talud-tablero platform (Figure 11; Nielsen et al 2021). Like the figures on vase K0319 and one of the individuals on gorget K7498, the people on Bench K2 are each named with a calendrical date in a rounded cartouche.…”

“…Like the figures on vase K0319 and one of the individuals on gorget K7498, the people on Bench K2 are each named with a calendrical date in a rounded cartouche. Nielsen and colleagues (2021:250) point out that such platforms are common in the Maya region, where they were used for a variety of activities including courtly assemblies and ceremonies, and that they have been found as well at El Tajin, but that they are rare in central Mexico outside of Xochicalco. Some of the men in the painting wear turban-like headdresses, potentially a later version of a kind of turban attested at Teotihuacan (Nielsen et al 2021:257).…”