What is Montezuma's headdress?
Montezuma's headdress. Moctezuma's headdress is a featherwork crown ( Nahuatl languages: quetzalāpanecayōtl [ketsalaːpaneˈkajoːtɬ]) which tradition holds belonged to Moctezuma II, the Aztec emperor at the time of the Spanish Conquest. However, its provenance is uncertain, and even its identity as a headdress has been questioned.
Did Aztec emperor Moctezuma wear feather headdress?
Mexico's president said on Monday that he had given his wife the “almost impossible mission” of persuading Austria to return a feather headdress said to have been worn by Aztec emperor Moctezuma.
Why did Moctezuma give Cortes the headdress?
It was a gift Moctezuma’s headdress, made in the 16th century, was part of a series of present the Aztec emperor gave to Hernán Cortés when he arrived at Tenochtitlán in 1519 as a welcome gesture. This headdress is actually a quetzalapanecáyotl or headdress made from Quetzal feathers set in gold.
What is the origin of the Aztec headdress?
However, its provenance is uncertain, and even its identity as a headdress has been questioned. It is made of quetzal and other feathers with sewn-on gold detailing. It is now in the Museum of Ethnology, Vienna, and is a source of dispute between Austria and Mexico, as no similar pieces remain in Mexico.
Why is Montezuma's headdress in Austria?
Although how the headdress came to Austria is still unknown, many historians assume that it was a gift from Moctezuma himself to the Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes, who later sent it to Emperor Charles I of the Habsburg House.
What is the Aztec feathered headdress?
Quetzal-feather headdressOne of the popular images of the Aztec culture consists of a priest or emperor in a large feathered headdress. The world's last remaining example forms a highlight of the Weltmuseum Wien's permanent exhibition.
What is Montezuma famous for?
Montezuma II, also spelled Moctezuma, (born 1466—died c. June 30, 1520, Tenochtitlán, within modern Mexico City), ninth Aztec emperor of Mexico, famous for his dramatic confrontation with the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.
What does the Aztec headdress symbolize?
Rich symbolism and ritualistic value was associated with Aztec headdresses. For instance, the very shape of an Aztec headdress which formed a disc represented the universe and the sky. Similarly, the feathers used on Aztec headdress were considered sacred and represented the god of feathers workers, Huitzilopochtli.
Is Quetzalcoatl Aztec or Mayan?
Quetzalcoatl was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon, along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. Two other gods represented by the planet Venus are Quetzalcoatl's ally Tlaloc (the god of rain), and Quetzalcoatl's twin and psychopomp, Xolotl, the dog-headed soul-guide for the dead.
What are Aztec headdresses called?
This headdress is also called the Penacho of Moctezuma II. Moctezuma II's headdress was first mentioned in a European inventory in 1596, when it was acquired by Austrian Archduke Ferdinand II von Tyrol.
Has Montezuma's gold been found?
After they buried the cache in the desert, the warriors sacrificed their slaves to watch over it for eternity. Cortés and his men scoured the region, but the treasure of Montezuma was—and remains—nowhere to be found.
What was Montezuma's real name?
Moctezuma XocoyotzinMoctezuma IIMoctezuma XocoyotzinBornc. 1466DiedJune 30, 1520 (aged 53–54) Tenochtitlan, MexicoConsortTeotlalco TlapalizquixochtzinIssue Among othersIsabel Moctezuma Pedro Moctezuma Mariana Leonor Moctezuma Chimalpopoca Tlaltecatzin11 more rows
Why is it called Montezuma's Revenge?
Etymology. Named for Montezuma or Moctezuma II (c. 1466 – 1520), the last Aztec ruler before the empire was conquered by the Spanish. The condition is seen as “retribution” for the slaughter and enslavement of the Aztec people by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés on 13 August 1521.
What color is Quetzalcoatl?
As Ehecatl-Quetzalcóatl he is often black, wears a red mask like a duck's beak and has long canine teeth. As god of the cardinal directions Quetzalcóatl was also associated with the colours black (north), red (east), blue (south) and white (west).
Why did Aztecs wear feathers?
Feathers were used for ceremonial shields, and the garments of Aztec eagle warriors were completely covered in feathers. Feather work dressed idols and priests as well. Moctezuma asked the Purépecha for help against the Spanish by sending gifts that included quetzal feathers.
Why do Mayans wear headdresses?
Mayans wore elaborate headdresses as part of their head gear. The use of such headdresses was limited to the nobility. Headdresses usually denoted the social importance, occupation and sometimes even the lineage of the wearer. The most beautiful headdresses made use of quetzal feathers.
Why did Aztecs wear feathers?
Feathers were used for ceremonial shields, and the garments of Aztec eagle warriors were completely covered in feathers. Feather work dressed idols and priests as well. Moctezuma asked the Purépecha for help against the Spanish by sending gifts that included quetzal feathers.
What do Aztec feathers mean?
One of the most important gods in Aztec culture is named Huitzilopochtli, which translates to “Hummingbird of the Left.” Huitzilopochtli was the god of the sun and of war and the Aztecs believed that warriors who lost their lives in battle would return as hummingbirds, which are characterized by their vibrant feathers.
Did Aztecs wear headdresses?
The Aztecs were one of the few great civilisations around the world that treasured and greatly valued feather headdresses: and most prized of all were the finest adornments crafted from the beautiful - and rare - turquoise-green and blue feathers of the Quetzal and Cotinga birds, from the distant lowland rainforests of ...
What color is Quetzalcoatl?
As Ehecatl-Quetzalcóatl he is often black, wears a red mask like a duck's beak and has long canine teeth. As god of the cardinal directions Quetzalcóatl was also associated with the colours black (north), red (east), blue (south) and white (west).
What was Montezuma's headdress?
His headdress -- a red, gold, and turquoise semicircular band topped with 400 bronze-green feathers of the Central American quetzal bird -- is the most important surviving Aztec artifact, said Felipe Solis, director of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
Who did Cortes send his headdress to?
Cortes in turn probably sent the headdress on to the King of Spain, Don Carlos of Austria, in an effort to win the crown's support for his planned march to Tenochtitlan, according to Thomas, author of ``Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico.''
Where did Cortes receive his gift?
Cortes may have received it in 1519 from Montezuma as part of a package of gifts sent to appease the Spaniards so they wouldn't advance from their beachhead on the Yucatan coast to the Aztec capital, according to historian Hugh Thomas.
Does Fischer's administration comment on the headdress?
Fischer's administration won't comment on the headdress until Mexico sends the formal request, a spokesman for the Austrian Foreign Ministry said.
When did Mexico request the return of the headdress?
In 1991 , Mexico submitted an official request for the headdress’ return. Austria subsequently claimed that sending the work back risked damaging it. In order to safely bring it back, Austrian experts said, a plane nearly the size of three football fields was required.
When was the headdress first held in Austria?
Widely considered to be an important object, the headdress has been held in Austria since the 16th century.
Is the headdress in Mexico going to be returned?
Mexican officials have reiterated calls for the headdress’ return in the years since. Last year, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has called for a new understanding of the Spanish conquest in Mexico since taking office in 2018, said the headdress is a “piece of ours, of Mexico” and launched a campaign to get it back as a loan in time for 2021. He later claimed that Austrians “completely appropriated” the object, which appears set to remain in Vienna.
Will the Aztec headdress be returned to Mexico?
This week, the Vienna institution officially denied those requests, ensuring that the headdress will not return to Mexico this year to tie in with the 500th anniversary of Spain’s conquest of the Aztec empire in 1521.
Where is the replica headdress in Mexico?
In the meantime, visitors to Mexico City have to content themselves with a rather spectacular replica of the headdress in Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology. A close up of the replica headdress held at Mexico’s Museo Nacional de Antropología. Thomas Ledl/ CC BY-SA 4.0.
What manuscript is Moctezuma II from?
An illustration of Moctezuma II from the 15th-century manuscript The Tovar Codex. Public Domain
What did the Aztecs do with feathers?
In the words of the Australian historian Inga Clendinnen, the Aztecs, or Mexica, “passionately prized feathers” as “projections into this dimmed world of the light, color, and exquisite delicacy of the world of the gods.” They called their most valued feathers and feather work “the Shadows of the Sacred Ones.” The royal featherworkers, the amantecas, worked in a part of the emperor’s palace called the Totocalli or House of Birds. There they made the emperor’s feather garments, shields and fans. There they also kept hundreds of birds of various kinds alive in cages. According to the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, 300 men were employed solely in keeping them fed and cared for.
Where did the headdress come from in Ambras Castle?
Experts now think that the Vienna headdress is unlikely to have come to Ambras Castle directly from Spain. It seems to have spent some time in the possession of one Count Ulrich of Montfort, an Austrian nobleman who had served as an envoy to the court in Spain in the 1560s.
Where is the headdress of Ferdinand von Hochstetter?
The brilliant object sits on display in a Viennese museum—and Mexico’s been wanting it back for decades. The headdress on display at the Museum of Ethnology, Vienna. Alexander Klein/ AFP/ Getty Images. In 1878, the Austrian geologist and explorer Ferdinand von Hochstetter went prospecting in the hills above Innsbruck.
Where is the headdress from the 1590s?
It probably wound up in the Innsbruck collection after he died some time in the 1590s. The headdress has remained in Austria ever since. In recent years, there have been a number of voices calling for the headdress’ repatriation to Mexico. In 1991, the Mexican government formally asked for the headdress’ return.
Who was the Austrian geologist and explorer who went prospecting in the hills above Innsbruck?
Alexander Klein/ AFP/ Getty Images. In 1878, the Austrian geologist and explorer Ferdinand von Hochstetter went prospecting in the hills above Innsbruck. He wasn’t looking for gold or minerals. Rather, he needed exhibits for a newly founded Museum of Natural History in Vienna, of which he had just been named the director.
Where is the headdress of Moctezuma?
Leer en español#N#Moctezuma’s headdress is currently in Vienna’s Museum of the World and it sparked a controversy in 1991 over the ownership of its treasure. Back then, Mexico demanded Vienna to give back the piece, but there was no answer.
Who made the Moctezuma headdress?
It was made in 1940 by Mexican craftsman Francisco Moctezuma. He did not have access to the original so he had to build it through archive images.
What temperature is Moctezuma's headdress?
The way in which Moctezuma’s headdress is displayed has changed. Until 2010 it was pinned on black fabric at 90 degrees. Currently, it rests at 22.5 degrees in a showcase designed to absorb any external vibration.
When was the headdress restored?
In 1878 , the headdress was restored and they added small feathers in the inferior part; some metallic pieces of gold were replaced by brass, and a plague control was made to the feathers. The technique was not the best, but thanks to it the headdress still exists.
When was Moctezuma's headdress made?
Moctezuma’s headdress, made in the 16th century , was part of a series of present the Aztec emperor gave to Hernán Cortés when he arrived at Tenochtitlán in 1519 as a welcome gesture.
How long does a headdress last?
Experts ensure that if the headdress is preserved under optimum conditions of light control, microclimate and vibration, it will last another 500 years more.
Mission impossible
The tiara allegedly worn by the Aztec emperor Montezuma II, 16th century, Museum of Ethnology, Vienna, Austria. Alexander Klein/AFP/Getty Images.
A tiara or a cape?
A copy of the headdress found in the Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico, México. Thomas Ledl/Wikimedia Commons.
A stolen gift?
The detail of the headdress of Aztec emperor Montezuma II, 16th century, Museum of Ethnology, Vienna, Austria. AFP.
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Who ordered the burning of Aztec feathers?
Cortés apparently first ordered precious Aztec feather works to be burnt in preference for gold pieces - but soon changed his mind as he realised their importance as lavish and extravagant status symbols. Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France were to follow suit. Sadly though, the fate of live quetzals coming to Europe has been as perilous as that of their gorgeous feathers: even in the 20th century a handful of these exotic birds was introduced to London Zoo in the 1930s: without the specialist knowledge needed for their care, they were to die quickly of nostalgia...*
What are the two most precious items in ancient Mesoamerica?
Pic 2: Jade and (quetzal) feathers: arguably the two most precious items in ancient Mesoamerica. An Aztec warrior’s feather headdress rendered in jade and silver (Click on image to enlarge)
Who was the Aztec emperor who wore feather headdresses?
Mexico's president said on Monday that he had given his wife the “almost impossible mission” of persuading Austria to return a feather headdress said to have been worn by Aztec emperor Moctezuma.
Who asked Beatriz Gutierrez to give back the pre-Hispanic relic?
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Twitter that he had asked Beatriz Gutierrez, a journalist and writer, to appeal to Austria to give back the pre-Hispanic relic during her cultural tour of Europe.
Where is the Aztec headdress?
A headdress that is believed to once belonged to the Aztec emperor Montezuma will remain for now in Austria. Photo Ronald Zak/AP
When did Mexico request the return of the headdress?
In 1991 , Mexico submitted an official request for the headdress’ return. Austria subsequently claimed that sending the work back risked damaging it. In order to safely bring it back, Austrian experts said, a plane nearly the size of three football fields was required.
When was the headdress first held in Austria?
Widely considered to be an important object, the headdress has been held in Austria since the 16th century.
