BY MARSHALL H. SAVILLE NEW YORK MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN HEYE FOUNDATION 1922 CONDÉ NAST PRESS GREENWICH, CONN. TO GEORGE GUSTAV HEYE In appreciation of his long-continued interest in all that pertains to the study of the aboriginal race of America, which has reached fruition in the opening of the Museum of the American Indian Heye Foundation this volume is dedicated by the author and the staff of the Museum...

The writer has undertaken the present study of Mexican Turquois Mosaics in honor of the approaching opening to the public of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, the only institution devoted exclusively to the study of the aboriginal American peoples ever established; and the proximate International Congress of Americanists to be held at Rio de Janeiro this summer. Owing to lack of time it has been impossible to obtain new photographic illustrations of all the specimens of mosaic-

ONE of the tragedies of the discovery of the New World was the abrupt and summary blotting out of the flourishing and still advancing civilization of the Aztec and other Mexican tribes. Had their complete conquest and subjection been delayed a few decades they in all probability would have developed a written phonetic language. Their intellectual abilities are evidenced by a study of the intricate calendar system, and the picture and hieroglyphic records which survive. The triumphs of their arch

The Grijalva Expedition , 1518 The first knowledge received by Europeans of the existence of turquois mosaic objects among the Mexicans was by members of the expedition sent out from Cuba by the governor, Diego Velásquez, during the spring of 1518, under the command of Juan de Grijalva. After reaching the shores of Yucatan near the island of Cozumel, the party coasted the Yucatan peninsula, reaching the territory of the present State of Campeche, which had been discovered the previous year by Fr

Mosaic objects, and especially the raw material for their manufacture, formed a part of the annual tribute paid by some of the coast provinces of ancient Mexico to the Aztec kings of Tenochtitlan. We have the pictorial representation of some of the objects of such tribute in an important native book or codex, painted in colors on maguey fiber paper, known as the Tribute Roll of Montezuma. This original codex was at one time in the famous Boturini collection, and is now one of the treasured posse

The source of the considerable quantity of turquois used in Mexico in pre-Spanish times for personal ornaments and mosaic incrustation is still an unsolved problem. Thus far no prehistoric workings have been found in Mexico. Only recently turquois has been discovered at the silver mines at Bonanza, Zacatecas, but Dr. Kunz, who has called our attention to this, writes that he has no information regarding prehistoric workings there. [26] In the extensive bibliography on the geology of Mexico by Ag

The development of the art of the lapidaries and mosaic-workers, like that of the goldsmiths, is attributed by Sahagun to the Toltecs, under the beneficent influence of Quetzalcoatl, the culture hero god. In treating of the pre-Aztec people called Tultecas, or people of Tollan or Tula, by Sahagun, he states that they were very skilful in all that pertained to the fine arts. He writes: The Tultecas were careful and thorough artificers, like those of Flanders at the present time, because they were

In the ancient chronicles are found many descriptions of the employment of mosaic-work decoration in the central Mexican region. From the writings of Sahagun and others it is clearly evident that many such decorated objects were made for and were used as parts of the paraphernalia with which great idols of wood or of stone representing various deities were adorned for the frequent religious festivals which occurred at stated intervals. The rulers and the priests and members of the so-called nobi

We will now consider the existing specimens of mosaic-work. It has been demonstrated, by the extended quotations from the old chronicles and codices, that this art was considerably employed in adorning objects of a special nature in connection with the dress of kings, nobles, warriors, and priests, and the paraphernalia of the gods. We have at present no actual examples of many of the objects which we have learned were thus ornamented, consequently whatever conception we may gain by a study of e

In view of the considerable number of objects of stone mosaic that were sent to Europe during the first years of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, part of the loot obtained by Hernán Cortés, it is quite possible that other examples are still hidden away either in Spain or in Italy, which some day will be brought to light. Only twenty years ago two wonderfully preserved carved ceremonial spear-throwers, or atlatls, of wood, covered with delicate gold-leaf, were found in an old leather-covered case

[1] See Saville, The Goldsmith’s Art in Ancient Mexico, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, Indian Notes and Monographs , 1920. [2] Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, Historia General y Natural de las Indias, edition of the Real Academia de la Historia, tomo I , primera parte, lib. XVII , caps, VIII - XVIII , pp. 502-537, Madrid, 1851. [3] The Itinerary of Grijalva, written by chaplain Juan Díaz, was undoubtedly recorded in Spanish, but we know it only from the Italian translation

1861 Tylor, E. B. Anahuac: or Mexico and the Mexicans, ancient and modern. London. See pp. 110, 235, 337-339, I fig. Dr. Tylor illustrates the knife with handle in the figure on p. 101. In the appendix (pp. 337-339), article V is a “Description of three very rare specimens of ancient Mexican mosaic work (in the collection of Henry Christy, Esq.).” These objects are now in the British Museum. 1866 Brasseur de Bourbourg, E. , and Waldeck, F. Palenque et autres ruines de l’ancienne civilisation du