The artwork titled “Coatlicue (‘Serpent Skirt’)” is a sculpture created by Aztec artisans sometime between 1300 and 1521 during the Post-classic period of Mesoamerican history. This mythological sculpture is carved in stone and is part of the art movement that spans from approximately 900 to 1580. The “Coatlicue” sculpture can be found at the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology) in Mexico City, Mexico.
Coatlicue is one of the most famous Aztec sculptures, representing the earth goddess of life and death in the Aztec pantheon. The figure stands majestically, carved in intricate detail from a single massive stone block. The sculpture has a fearsome visage with clawed hands and feet, indicative of her connection to the earth and her role as a deity of both creation and destruction. She is characterized by her skirt made of writhing snakes—hence the name “Serpent Skirt”—and her necklace composed of human hands, hearts, and a skull pendant, symbolizing life, death, and rebirth. The two serpent heads that come together to form her own head indicate her dual nature and the cycle of life. The finely carved icons and patterns across the sculpture’s surface represent various aspects of Aztec mythology and cosmology, making it not only a religious symbol but also a storytelling artifact. Coatlicue is a quintessential example of the rich iconography and mythology that pervaded Aztec art and culture before the Spanish conquest.
