Worn around the neck by a senior Mistek official, this stunning bust is one of more than 120 gold objects found in a tomb in the ancient city of Alban Mountain in southern Mexico. OLIVER SANTANA/RAICES
Written by: BRADEN PHILLIPS
More than 120 pieces of gold artifacts have been found in a tomb in southern Mexico, including a gold chest ornament created by Mistek craftsmen. Its intricate portrait design sparked a heated discussion about the identity of its owner.
More than 120 gold ornaments have been unearthed from a tomb in the ancient city of Alban in southern Mexico, including a stunning gold chest ornament worn around the neck by a senior Mistek official. Due to its rich symbolic and iconographic significance, coupled with the visual complexity of the figures, several different interpretations of their meaning and portrait identity have been triggered.
Discovery of Oaxaca
For a long time, the rich history of the pre-Columbian period in Oaxaca, Mexico, was largely unknown until 1930, when archaeologist Alfonso Caso discovered hidden secrets there. Caso focused his main efforts on the ancient hilltop city of Mount Alban, which he concluded had been the capital of the Zapotec Empire for more than 1,000 years, but by 700 AD it had declined.
The Zapotecs abandoned the city, and their successor, the Mistek, came to power in 900 AD. Their rule lasted until 1521, after which the Spaniards expanded their control over the area.
During the Mistyk occupation, they reactivated the Zapotec buildings of mount Alban, including royal burials. Caso found 20 buildings and 176 tombs at the site. In 1932, after digging the walls of an elite residence, he discovered Tomb No. 7, which many consider to be the most spectacular tomb ever found in Central America.
Dating back to around 1330 AD, the tomb contains more than 500 objects, including more than 120 gold ornaments, which were made with great skill, indicating that the Misteks were the most skilled goldsmiths in central and southern Mexico. They excelled at "lost-wax" casting, making things like busts (chest ornaments hanging around the neck), pendants, necklaces, and other ornaments.
One of his most astonishing discoveries was a gold bust, which Caso described as "probably the most beautiful Mexican gold figure known today." Even more amazing is that the bust also contains important information about the complex symbolic language of the Mistek culture and its art.
This portrait of a Mistyk samurai ruler dates back to the 12th to 14th centuries. It was discovered in 1870 during the excavation of a private residence in Teventpec. This item was made using the lost-wax method and symbolizes the noble status of the owner. In addition to his shield and snake-headed tools, a decoration hung from his lip plug, a severed head with three bells. BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON/RMN-GRAND PALAIS
Identity issues
The Misterk Manuscript is another of Caso's major discoveries in Mount Alban, providing important background information for the bust and providing a basis for determining the characters it may have depicted. These manuscripts, written on deerskin, tell the myth of the origins of the Mistyks, as well as the complex genealogy of their rulers, priests, and warriors. The Mistek manuscript, together with the Records of the Mayan Dynasty, provides the only known documentary history of the pre-Columbian New World.
Through the study of the Mistek calendar system, Caso was able to illustrate the meaning of the shoulder pattern of the portrait. He deduced that each work corresponded to a different calendar and could be cross-referenced with the calendar reforms in the manuscript. Combining this information, Caso believes that the bust depicts a ruler known as Lord 5 Lizard. (In the Mistek calendar, a person's name and number are determined by their date of birth.)
Even more amazing is that the bust also contains important information about the complex symbolic language of the Mistek culture and its art.
Some scholars have different views on this, such as Geoffrey McCafferty, professor emeritus of archaeology at the University of Calgary, who believes that the figure in the bust is Lady 3 Flint, because the serpentine headdress is the same as the one she wore in one of the manuscripts, so he believes that the bust was worn by his descendant Lady 4 Rabbit, which she regards as an heirloom.
Today, gold bustses and other treasures from Mount Alban are housed in the Oaxaca Cultural Museum in Santo Domingo, Mexico.
(Translator: Strange Flowers Blossom)