Column base/support with representations of Quetzalcóatl and Tlaltecuhtli (the Earth god)

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Date created: AD 1325-1521 (Post-Classic period)

Culture/People: probably Tepaneca (Tepanec) (archaeological culture) (attributed); square hole made by the Spanish to hold a cross
Previous owner: Édouard Pingret (Édouard-Henri-Théophile Pingret), Non-Indian, 1785-1869; Dr. Louis Capitan (L. Capitan/Joseph-Louis Capitan), Non-Indian, 1854-1929
Seller agent: Fernand Lair-Dubreuil, Non-Indian, 1867-1931; Georges Pascal Joseph Tixier, Non-Indian, b. 1874; Andre Portier, Non-Indian, 1886-1963
Auction venue: Hotel Drouot
MAI agent: George Gustav Heye (GGH), Non-Indian, 1874-1957

Collection History: Said to have been installed in a cemetery in Coyocan at an unknown date; acquired by Édouard Pingret (Édouard-Henri-Théophile Pingret, 1785-1869, a French artist who lived in Mexico in the 1850s and collected antiquities) through an exchange with a town official; inherited by Édouard Pingret's daughter; purchased by Dr. Louis Capitan (1854-1929, a French physician, anthropologist, and archaeologist) at an auction of Pingret's daughter's property following her death in France in 1909; purchased by George Heye for MAI in 1930 at an auction of items from Dr. Capitan's estate held by Fernand Lair-Dubreuil (1867-1931), Georges Pascal Joseph Tixier (b. 1874), and Andre Portier (1886-1963) at the Hotel Drouot in Paris, France.
Contact Us: Have a concern, a correction, or something to add? Contact us: https://nmai.si.edu/collections-statement

Place: Coyoacán; Federal District; Mexico (inferred)
Geographical Areas: Valley of Mexico

See related items: Tepaneca (Tepanec) (archaeological culture); Non-Indian (archaeological); Architecture/Housing
On View: NMAI, New York, NY: Infinity of Nations, Mesoamerica & Circum Caribbean

Data Source: National Museum of the American Indian

Catalog Number: 17/5441
Barcode: 175441.000

Object Type: Architecture/Housing

Object Name: Column base/support with representations of Quetzalcóatl and Tlaltecuhtli (the Earth god)
Media/Materials: Basalt, paint
Techniques: Pecked, ground, polished, painted
Dimensions: 77.5 x 29.7 cm

Metadata Usage: CC0

GUID: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws6ac01396c-bfbd-4f0a-a705-0c5ccd273f13

Record ID: NMAI_187866