Hello kateyd,
Aztecs, Mayas and Incas are the most interesting cultures! While
Aztecs had gold, it appears the royalty wore silver far more. Silver
jewlery designs are seen far more often than gold. Some research
points to gold having come first from Peru, before it began to be
mined in Mexico. Silver was found in abundance in Mexico and the
southwest US. As far as designs, so many cultures, Indigenous, Spanish
and Moorish, have intermingled, we can only determine true designs
from original artifacts, jewlery, and codices. It is probable that
some jewlery may have made it to Spain intact, but more likely the
metals were melted down. The famous squash blossom design is supposed
to have been a Moorish design, adopted by the indigenous of Mexico and
the southwest US.
"The principle part of the necklace is the crescent-shaped pendant,
which the Southwestern Indians first saw as iron ornaments on the
horse bridles of the Spanish Conquistadors in the late 1500s and early
1600s. Captured or traded, these ornaments soon graced the necks of
the local Indian populace. Their acquisition was a matter of pride and
the ornament, reproduced in the various metals, was proudly displayed
during ceremonials. These pendants, originally brought from Spain,
reflected the influence of earlier Moorish conquests and the
occupation of Spain. As generations came and went, the pendant,
referred to as a najahe or naja, became symbolic with various
ceremonials. Since most ceremonials were related to the agricultural
cycle, the naja was associated with crop fertility."
http://www.americana.net/jewelry_squash_blossom_article.html
"The wealth of gold ornaments found in Mexico and South America
reflected a long tradition of goldsmithing. For instance, from 200
BC-AD 600 the Nazca people of Peru used repousse, hammered and cut
gold, bracelets and nose ornaments. Followed from AD 300-800 by the
Mochica who added embossing, soldering, inlaying, plating and casting,
including lost wax casting. Motifs included cat-demons, birds, fish,
animals, human figures and severed human heads.
In the 16th century, gold from the new world led to a surge in jewelry
production in Europe. Spain led the continent into an era of opulent
adornment. Goldsmiths in France developed a wonderful technique for
painting miniatures in enamel on gold. Cameos came into fashion as
well. Competition among the courts of Europe for goldsmiths lead to a
uniformity of style as princes vied to outdo each other."
http://www.ninadesigns.com/articles/gold_insights.html
" The first raw materials shipped from the Americas to Spain were the
treasures of the Aztec and Inca empires. The conquistadors melted down
tons of fine gold and silver jewelry and magnificent ornaments created
by Aztec and Inca artisans. Each year, huge fleets set sail for Spain,
loaded with bars of gold and silver. Pirates lurked in the sea lanes
around the Caribbean, eager to seize these treasure ships.
The Spanish also forced the Indians to mine gold and silver. Mines
such as Potosi in the Andes produced tons of silver ore. Treasure from
the Americas helped to make Spain the richest and most powerful
nations in Europe at this time."
http://www.geocities.com/bruinspecialt/GS_Notes/Spanish_Rule_article.html
"Once in power, the Aztecs went about conquering cities through the
use of forceful extortion. The offer of ?protection? carried with it
the underlying threat of death and destruction if ?gifts? of gold or
precious stones were not paid to the Empire. Thought acts of war were
carried out in orderly and organized fashion, once conquered and a
treaty signed, a monetary payment established, and all prisoners
regardless of sex or age became slaves. Through power and wealth
obtained by warfare the Aztec Empire grew and flourished under the
guidance of its first Aztec Ruler Acamapichtli (1376), one of the
?Great Speakers? or ?Huey Tlatoan? (the correct name of the Aztec
Emperor. He put in motion the bases of the Aztecan Empire and was an
integral part of establishing and securing the future of the Aztecs."
http://www.geocities.com/donnasandrson/hum7project2.html
"The workshop produced silver jewelry which according to Spratling was
"literal copies of Aztec and colonial motifs," or Aztec seals
transformed into silver pins. Throughout his early years, Spratling
heavily employed the pre-Colombian and traditional folk motifs as well
as domestic stones and materials such as Mexican amethyst and
rosewood, later supplemented by lapis, malachite, Mexican "jade,"
ebony, and tortoise shell. Over the years, this influence gradually
declined and became less apparent as Spratling developed his own style
and simpler, more stylized designs. The initial workforce included
many who later opened their own workshops and became prominent
silversmiths in Mexico."
http://www.bali-sterling-silver.com/about/mexico/Aztec.htm
"In the 1500s, the Spaniards came to Mexico seeking gold and spices,
but when they saw Aztec gold, the spices were quickly forgotten. Under
Cortez, the Spaniards pillaged and plundered, massacring 50,000
Indians in their lust for the gold of King Montezuma and King
Guatemoc. With victory, Cortez gained entry to the Southern Mixtec
provinces with their rich aluvial gold deposits, where Mexico still
extracts some 150,000 ounces of gold a year."
http://www.pineglen.com/g_hist.htm
"The Aztec Empire gives viewers a sense of the life of the Aztec
nobility and that of commoners, merchants, and artisans, through
jewelry, body ornaments, musical instruments, household objects, and
other works made of gold, silver, turquoise, bone, shell, and
feathers. Such artifacts as earspools, nose ornaments, and the handle
of a flyswatter not only reflect daily life, but show that the Aztecs,
formidable stonemasons and ceramicists, were masters at fashioning
objects from a variety of materials."
http://www.guggenheim.org/press_releases/release_98.html
"There were special stalls for Cholula's jewellers and potters, for
Azcapotzalco's goldsmiths, for Tezcoco's painters, for Tenayuca's
stone-cutters, for Xilotepec's hunters, for Cuitlahuac's fishermen,
Quauhtitlan's basket- and chair-weavers, and for Xochimilco's
florists.
The variety of curios you could purchase were limitless. There were
golden fish with scales of gold, golden birds with golden feathers and
movable heads, vessels made from all kinds of wood -- varnished or
even gilt, bronze axes, warriors' helmets with crests of animal heads,
quilted cotton waistcoats for the warriors, feather armor, swords with
obsidian blades, razors and mirrors from cut stone, hides and leather
goods of all kinds, tame and wild animals."
http://www.hope-of-israel.org/aztec.htm
"The gold and other Aztec finery only whetted the Spaniards' appetite
for new world riches. Determined to carry forward, the next moves
Cortés made were as astute as they were bold. After dispatching
trusted envoys back to Spain to deliver letters and Aztec treasure to
his monarch, Carlos V, he stripped and scuttled the remainder of his
fleet. This drastic measure constituted a blatant act of rebellion
against his direct superior, Governor Velázquez, but by effectively
eliminating any means of desertion, Cortés hoped to assure the
do-or-die loyalty of his men."
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/dpalfrey/dpconquest.html
"The nobility, who never seemed to lack the wealth to pay their
gambling debts, played and watched the game more for recreational
purposes. According to Duran (p.318) it was important to have the
backing of great wealth in order to take part in the sport. Rulers
even played the game for kingdoms, as when Axayacatl, emperor of the
Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, waged his yearly wealth against that of
the Xihuitlemoc, the king of Xochimilco.
The players themselves also gambled on the game. In addition, at
least during the Aztec period, the winning team could accumulate
wealth through a tradition that, at the close of the contest, allowed
them to run into the watching crowd and seize jewelry of gold and jade
as well as rich clothing and accoutrements from the spectators."
http://linux1.tlc.north.denver.k12.co.us/~gmoreno/gmoreno/Mesoamerican_Ballgame.html
"India and the New World. India was a legendary land of gold, as well
as a major source and trading center for precious stones. The Mughal
court in India was notorious for its lavish display of gem-encrusted
gold jewelry and ornaments, and Europeans lusted after Indian gold,
always trying to find easier ways to get to it. It was while searching
for a sea route to India and that land's golden treasures that
Columbus landed in the Americas ? his first words there were, ?Where
is the gold?? However, it was Cortez, conqueror of the Incas, who
captured tremendous stashes of the precious metal.
The wealth of gold ornaments found in Mexico and South America
reflected a long tradition of goldsmithing. For instance, from 200
BC-600 AD the Nazca people of Peru used repoussé, hammered, and cut
gold for bracelets and nose ornaments. From 300 AD-800 AD, the Mochica
added embossing, soldering, inlaying, plating, and casting, including
lost-wax casting to the store of techniques. Motifs included
cat-demons, birds, fish, animals, human figures, and severed human
heads.
In the 16th century, gold from the New World led to a surge in
European jewelry production. Spain led the continent into an era of
opulent adornment, while goldsmiths in France developed a wonderful
technique for painting miniatures in enamel on gold. Cameos came into
fashion as well. Competition among the courts of Europe for goldsmiths
lead to a uniformity of style as princes vied to outdo each other."
http://www.lapidaryjournal.com/feature/may01str.cfm
" The gold in the Aztec and Inca treasuries of Mexico and Peru
believed to have come from Colombia, although some undoubtedly was
obtained from other sources. The Conquistadores plundered the
treasuries of these civilizations during their explorations of the New
World, and many gold and silver objects were melted and cast into
coins and bars, destroying the priceless artifacts of the Indian
culture."
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/prospect1/goldgip.html
" One day in 1535 Sebastian de Belalcazar, veteran of the Inca
conquest, founder of Quito, capital of Ecuador, met an Indian who
fanned his imagination with a most unusual story. The native told the
Spaniard of a king of a large tribe who lived near what is now
Colombia. The nobles anointed him every day with a sticky gum and
covered him entirely with gold dust. At the day?s end he was carried
to a nearby lake and rafted out to the middle along with an abundance
of golden ornaments and emeralds. The Spaniard listened, fascinated,
as the Indian described how the smoke from the many bonfires onshore
drifted across the lake and the assembled multitudes shouted in awe
and joy as their king slipped into the waters and washed off his
golden "skin." Simultaneously the nobles and priests accompanying him
on the raft threw the golden ornaments and precious gems into the lake
as an offering to the sun.
Belalcazar had no reason to doubt the storyteller ? had he not seen
with his own eyes the fantastic gold hoards of the Incas? When the
storyteller finished, the fired-up mind of the Spaniard coined a name
that became engraved on the minds of fortune seekers for centuries to
come. He called the mythical king "El Dorado" ? the Golden One.
When one considers the wealth of the Incan and Aztec empires prior to
the arrival of the Spaniards, El Dorado could scarcely be entirely
legendary. In their possession was far more wealth than the
conquistadores could have imagined in their wildest dreams. Many
scholars believe that the Incas alone mined more than two million
ounces of gold per year and almost twice that much silver. Although
those totals could be overstated, the amounts of precious metals mined
had to be fantastic by modern standards. The Aztec output of gold and
silver was only slightly behind that of the Incas. Doubtless, then,
these two empires together possessed more precious metal than the
combined treasuries of all the European countries. No wonder the
invading Spaniards went berserk at the sight of so much gold!
These early Indians used gold mainly for ornaments and as a building
material, in very much the same manner that contemporary Europeans
used marble. There were life-size statues of people, animals, and
naturally the gods, all molded from solid gold; such statuary was
quite common. Although gold was sometimes used for bartering, it was
not utilized as money."
http://www.fascinatingearth.com/The%20Wealth%20of%20the%20Gods.htm
Aztec Glyphs
"The Aztecs wrote using symbols similar to the characters used by the
Chinese and Japanese. All the symbols were pictures of one kind or
another.
The symbols can be thought of as ideograms in which the objects
express their own natures but also the underlying ideas and not
concepts associated with them. Thus the idea of death can be
represented by a corpse wrapped for burial, night by a black sky and a
closed eye, war by a shield and a club, or speech by a little scroll
issuing from the mouth of the person who is talking. Concepts
involving the idea of motion, walking, migration, or the sequence of
events were usually indicated by a trail of footprints going in the
necessary direction.
Aztec personal names were of the descriptive type which could usually
be written in glyphs. The name of the Emperor Acamapichtli means
'Handful of Reeds' and his glyph is a forearm with the hand grasping a
bundle of stalks. Chimalpopoca, the name of the next ruler but one,
means 'Smoking Shield', and his successor was Itzcoatl or 'Obsidian
Snake'.
There was also a phonetic element in Aztec writing. Every word in
spoken language has a sound as well as a meaning, and glyphs were
sometimes used to indicate the phonetic value of a word rather than
its sense. Thus, to give an example from English, a drawing of an eye
may be a pictogram (meaning the eye as part of the body), or an
ideogram (expressing the idea of sight and vision), or a phonogram
(standing for the sound 'I'). In the latter case, the eye symbol can
be used, as a sort of pun, to indicate the first person singular. It
is possible to write the sentence, 'I can be hospitable', as a series
of phonetic glyphs: an eye, a tin can, a bee, a horse, a pit or hole,
and a table. The Aztecs applied the same technique to the writing of
Nahuatl. Pictures were sometimes used for their sound, without
reference to their meaning. The symbol for teeth (tiantli in the Aztec
language) expressed the syllable 'tlan'; the glyph"
http://www.azteca.net/aztec/nahuatl/writing.html
These books may be helpful:
===========================
A delightful and informative book is "The Buried Mirror" by Carlos
Fuentes. This book describes in detail the relationship between the
Americas and Spain. It may not discuss much about jewelry (I don't
remember) but it will certainly giv eyou insight into the times. "The
theme of his thoughtful essay is the accommodation of cultures--Spain
unique in the Old World in bringing together Christians, Moors, and
Jews and the New World intermingling the blood and cultures of
Spaniards, Indians, and blacks. It is the unavoidable encounter with
the Other that has shaped the New World experience"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0395924995/qid=1116896588/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-0151843-2968118?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
The Aztecs
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0631230165/qid=1116896392/sr=8-10/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i10_xgl14/102-0151843-2968118?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Aztec Art
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0806125365/qid=1116896554/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl14/102-0151843-2968118?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
A bibliography of Aztec publications
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rjsalvad/scmfaq/aztecbib.html
http://www.magersandquinn.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=496
Illustrations:
==============
Aztec silver earrings, Scroll down to AM215, click to enlarge
http://www.oldbeads.com/americas.html
Authentic Ancient Aztec Design, Decorated with symbols of the god
called Five Flowers (Macuilxochitl).
From the State of Mexico.
http://www.lossuenosdelmar.com/images/aztec_five_flowers.gif
http://www.lossuenosdelmar.com/helpful_links.html
Aztec replicas
http://69.6.237.179/catalog/index.php?cPath=25
Aztec Copper Hoe money
http://www.mcintosh55.com/artifacts/APrecol.html
Aztec Silver Coins
http://www.kelleyscoins.com/silver/mexico/aztec.asp
Aztec Bracelet
http://cache.tias.com/stores/bothellj/pictures/jsm1e.jpg
http://pages.tias.com/7758/PictPage/1920965597.html
Aztec Images
http://www.infosma.com/traditions/aztec_dances.htm
Aztec Codices (Very interesting and authentic)
http://www.lib.utah.edu/digital/aztec/
Guggenheim Museum Aztec Collection
http://www.thecityreview.com/aztec.html
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://69.6.237.179/catalog/images/TM-028.JPG&imgrefurl=http://69.6.237.179/catalog/index.php%3FcPath%3D45&h=356&w=267&sz=79&tbnid=CUVZSZ8rtlsJ:&tbnh=116&tbnw=87&hl=en&start=32&prev=/images%3Fq%3Daztec%2B%2Bart%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26c2coff%3D1%26sa%3DN
http://mexarte.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=52
http://mexarte.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=22&osCsid=c7b73e5aa13677227db370c2771b334c
http://69.6.237.200/SPECIAL_ORDERS.asp
http://theartifact.com/index.php?cPath=28&osCsid=e4b3d188b4edba3002b0b5d53025f06c
http://www.arden.com/theartifact/aprecol2/
These sites may interest you also:
==================================
http://www.newworldtreasures.com/tbars.htm
http://www.utexas.edu/research/tarl/faq/Mexico.html
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/jewelry/turquoise/
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/azt_lif_new.htm
http://www.handcraftedjewelry4u.com/spanish.php
http://www.tenochtitlan.com/
http://www.arden.com/theartifact/aprecol1/
I would suggest checking with local museums for any Aztec displays, to
learn more. I saw a fabulous display that included Moctezuma's (Yes,
it is spelled that way!) headress, and original codices, as well as
pages from Columbus' diary, at the 1992 World's Fair in Sevilla,
Spain.
If you are as interested in this as am I, you may find a subscription
to AMÉRICAS worthwhile.
http://www.americas.oas.org/default.html
Good luck with your book! If any part of my answer is unclear, please
ask for an Answer Clarification. I will be happy to help you before
you rate the answer.
Sincerely, Crabcakes
Search Terms
aztec glyphs codices
aztec art
mesoamerican gold jewelry + precolumbian
Mesoamerican gold artifacts jewlery
Aztec gold jewlery
museum + aztec + artifacts
I also searched in Spanish
pulseras de oro + aztecas
joyeria azteca |
