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Maya Ceramic Figure Maya Ceramic Figure
Aztec Calendar Stone Aztec Calendar Stone
Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés

Aztec Calendar Stone

Aztec Calendar Stone
The ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica developed complex calendar systems based on overlapping cycles of time. The Aztec calendar stone, carved from a piece of basalt weighing over 22 metric tons, depicts sun gods at its center, which represent present and past eras. The suns are encircled by several segmented rings, some with heiroglyphs, which show the divisions of Aztec cycles of time.
Macduff Everton/The Image Works
Appears in these articles:
Museum; Aztec Empire; Measuring Time: Frameworks for Understanding the Past; Native Americans of Middle and South America; Aztec Calendar
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