Caja de Tizapán Figurilla Chalchiuhtlicue

Small ceremonial box of stone (tepetlacalli), used by the Mexicas to deposit their offerings to their gods. The iconography of its painted elements indicates that this piece in particular was dedicated to the worship the gods of the rain and fertility. The complete box was painted in water blue with designs now barely visible and a red band finished with white feathers decorating the edge of the lid. In the inside of the lid is painted a cosmogram: the center of the world was represented with a great precious blue stone; four tlaloques (gods of the rain) coming out of the center towards the direction of the universe and painted in the four colors of the corn: white, red, black and yellow. Between each of them there is painted a different plant that indicate the extreme points of the apparent crossing of the sun through the celestial vault. Inside the container there is also the image of the precious blue stone framed by a red edge with white feathers bang and in was found a figurine of green stone that represents the goddess of water, called Chalchiuhtlicue, holding two corncobs in each hand.Arqlga. Bertina Olmedo Vera