Mexico City. The Uno Mono (Ce Ozomatli) tombstone, possibly of Nahua origin, is the centerpiece of a new exhibition of repatriated objects, which is presented at the Templo Mayor Museum. It is a basalt cylinder, donated to former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador in September 2023, which stands out for its historical richness.
Emiliano Melgar, a renowned expert in studies of stone objects, conducted a meticulous analysis of this piece and revealed crucial information about the techniques and tools used in its creation.
At the opening of the exhibition, Patricia Ledesma Bouchan, director of the museum, highlighted that the cylinder presents the profile image of a zoomorphic skull that represents a spider monkey, adorned with a distinctive tuft of hair.
“This detail is not accidental; Nahua artists highlighted such particularities in their works. Furthermore, the numeral on the back of the object suggests that it could be interpreted as ‘Ce Ozomatli’ or ‘Uno mono’, a significant date in the Nahua divinatory calendar, associated with people with a predisposition towards artisanal work.
“The studies carried out by Melgar made it possible to identify the techniques used by the lapidaries of Tenochtitlan, who used obsidian tools to wear down the stone, leaving microscopic traces that are essential to determine the origin of the piece.
“This analysis allowed us to discern whether the tombstone was made locally or if its origin is foreign, as well as its dating to the pre-Hispanic period. “The iconography and work marks on the stone indicate its likely provenance, adding a layer of meaning and context to the work.”
The inauguration also marked the reopening of the second stage of the nodal pre-Hispanic building of the Templo Mayor Archaeological Zone.
Photo taken by X @INAHmx
The covering on this section was removed in December 2023 due to part of it collapsing in a storm. The restored roof is lighter and will improve the preservation and access to the oldest vestiges of Huey Teocalli, in Tenochtitlan, corresponding to the shrines of the gods Huitzilopochtli and Tláloc, from the so-called Stage II (ca. 1390 AD).
Ledesma noted that the exhibition not only focuses on the tombstone, but also includes a display of three valuable collections repatriated from the United States, recovered through covert operations. These pieces, which include objects made of stone, ceramics, bone and organic materials, are part of a batch of 103 items rescued in Texas.
Another notable piece of the repatriation is a censer of Mayan affiliation, delivered by a North American citizen to the Mexican Consulate in Austin. The object, acquired in 2016, was returned after a fire in the gallery where it was exhibited, marking a milestone in efforts to recover Mexican cultural heritage.
Museums on the Mayan Train route
At the end of the inauguration, Diego Prieto Hernández, head of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, indicated that six of the 10 museums projected as part of the development of the Mayan Train have yet to be completed.
“In Mexico there are around 60 thousand archaeological sites located in the national territory and more than 120 thousand cataloged immovable historical monuments, in addition to more than 6 million registered movable archaeological monuments, with 163 regional site museums.”
Prieto Hernández stressed that archaeological rescue work is not limited to the collection of materials, but rather involves in-depth research and systematization of information.
Photo taken by X @INAHmx
In this sense, he mentioned that they are currently in the phase of analyzing materials and presenting reports, and a large digital vault is being enabled that will allow the archaeological community to access a wealth of invaluable information.
“This effort will lay the foundation for research in the Mayan area for the next 25 to 30 years.”
The exhibition can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Templo Mayor Museum. It will conclude in February 2025.
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