Jewel__A_Celebration_of_Earth_s_Treasures

MOTHER-OF-PEARL COYOTE 305

T

his fascinating and striking

object is a lid for an effigy jar

(a vessel styled as human or

animal) from the Toltec civilization

of Mesoamerica (c.900–c.1150 CE).

According to one theory, the lid portrays

the god Quetzalcoatl with human features,

but it is more widely thought to represent

a Toltec warrior’s helmet, which imitated a

coyote’s head and had an opening for the

warrior’s face between its jaws.

The lid displays intricate craftsmanship:

it is modelled in clay and inlaid with carved

mother-of-pearl and bone. The helmet it

depicts is that of the Coyote order, one

of the military classes of the Toltec, which

included the Eagle and Jaguar, among

others. Such a helmet indicated a degree of

military rank, while also signifying a state

of existence between the material world

and the animal spirit world. Warriors also

dressed in imitation of the animal’s body.

The artefact was found in Tula (in

modern-day Mexico), once the capital

city of the Toltec Empire. The Toltec, who

predated the Aztec, were a warlike people

who dominated the region through military

force. Religion played an important role in

their lives, and human sacrifice to appease

the gods was a key component of worship.

Evidence of this at Tula includes a

tzompantli, a skull rack for displaying the

heads of sacrificial victims. In addition,

three chacmool statues were found –

reclining warrior figures clutching bowls

intended to receive human hearts and

other sacrificial offerings for the gods.

Key dates

250 CE–1970

0

1000

1100

1200

1500

1900

1950

2000

c.900–c.1150 CE The

Toltec civilization dominates

in Mesoamerica, during

which time the effigy

vessel lid is crafted

935–47 CE The legendary

ruler of the Toltecs,

Ce Acatl Topiltzin, is

born. He later also uses

the title Quetzalcoatl

c.1345–1521 The Aztecs,

who revere and claim

descent from the Toltecs,

are the new power in

Mesoamerica

c.1150 The Toltec capital

of Tula is abandoned

and destroyed

Toltec statue at Tula

The Toltecs of tradition

were chiefly remarkable

for their intense love of art

Lewis Spence, author

Mother-of-pearl coyote

Portrait of a Native American man wearing a

coyote head dress – the animal remained a powerful

symbol for many cultures

△ Quetzalcoatl, the Mesoamerican god of wind and learning

Chacmool statue from the Toltec era. The Toltec religion

included sacrifice, and these statues were made to hold

human organs for the gods

250–950 CE The Classic

Maya Period occurs,

predating the Toltec

1156–68 The remaining

Toltecs flee Tula and

settle at Chapultepec

on Lake Texcoco

The ruins of the Toltec

city of Tula

1950–70 Archeological

work identifies Tula

as a Toltec city

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