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Chalchiuthlicue wearing a quechquémitl |
Maya and Aztec cultures are well represented in the British Museum’s collections, which include (in the Mexican Gallery) a Mixtec codex, life-size stone sculptures, carved lintels from the Maya city of Yaxchilan and a famous collection of Mixtec-Aztec turquoise mosaics.
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Quetzalcóatl |
Unique pieces in the Mexican Gallery to look out for include: Quetzalcóatl’s famous ‘butterfly’ turquoise mosaic mask (shown), a real Aztec sacrificial knife, the deerskin Codex Nuttall (replica), a stone coiled rattle snake, three wooden teponaztlis (tongue drums), and a stone fire serpent pointing up at the sky (representing lightning) at the entrance.
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Mexicolore have and continue to run many workshop sessions for schools and families within the BM over the last 15 years and more.
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The double-headed serpent figure may have represented twins |
For a brief guide to some of the resources available online from the BM on the Aztecs, go to our main Aztec Links pages (link below).