Turquois mosaic art in ancient Mexico — Reading Notes

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Authors: Saville, Marshall H. (Marshall Howard), 1867-1935 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2021 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Mexico -- Antiquities; Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540; Turquoise; Mosaics Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 43,413

Reading time 189 min

Text sections 15

The source record for Turquois mosaic art in ancient Mexico — Reading Notes measures this digital text at 43,413 words, 3 hr 9 min estimated reading time, and 15 detected text sections.

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Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Mexico -- Antiquities,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #67027

Marshall H. Saville's 1922 study examines turquoise mosaic objects from ancient Mexico, analyzing their materials, craftsmanship, and cultural significance through early Spanish accounts, museum collections, and archaeological finds like those from Chichen Itza's cenote.

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order to placate the formidable strangers with childlike confidence that by giving them their wish the invasion of his dominions would be averted, Montezuma sent rich presents to Cortés through Tendile (Teuhtlile), governor of Cuetlaxtla (the modern Cotastla), which was then subject to the Aztecs. When all this treasure thus brought together was ready to be sent to Spain, with the report of the voyage, an inventory or list of the objects was drawn up and despatched with two special messengers, Alonso Portocarrero and Francisco de Montejo, who were charged to deliver the treasure to the King. These valuable gifts have been briefly described by several members of the expedition who saw them before they left Mexico, and on their receipt in Spain they were described by various other chroniclers.

From the inventory, which we translated, we select the items relating to objects ornamented with stone mosaic.

Item: two collars of gold and stone mosaic-work (precious stones)....

Another item: a box of a large piece of feather-work lined with leather, the colors seeming like martens, and fastened and placed in the said piece, and in the center (is) a large disc of gold, which weighed sixty ounces of gold, and a piece of blue stone mosaic-work a little reddish, and at the end of the piece another piece of colored feather-work that hangs from it.

Item: a miter of blue stone mosaic-work with the figure of monsters in the center of it, and lined with leather which seems in its colors to be that of martens, with a small (piece) of feather-work which is, as the one mentioned above, of this said miter.

Item: ... a scepter of stone mosaic-work with two rings of gold, and the rest of feather-work.

Item: an armlet of stone mosaic-work....

Item: a mirror placed in a piece of blue and red stone mosaic-work, with feather-work stuck to it, and two strips of leather stuck to it....

Item: some leggings of blue stone mosaic-work, lined with leather, of which the colors seem like martens; on each one of them (there are) fifteen gold bells.

Item: two colored (pieces of) feather-work which are for two (pieces of) head armor of stone mosaic-work....

More: two guariques (ear ornaments) of blue stone mosaic-work, which are to be put in the head of the big crocodile.

More: another head armor of blue stone mosaic-work with twenty gold bells which hang pendent at the border, with two strings of beads which are above each bell, and two guariques of wood with two plates of gold.

Item: another head armor of blue stone mosaic-work with twenty-five gold bells, and two beads of gold above each bell, that hang around it with some guariques of wood with plates of gold, and a bird of green plumage with the feet, beak, and eyes of gold.

Moreover: sixteen shields of stone mosaic-work with their colored feather-work hanging from the edge of them, and wide-angled slab with stone mosaic-work with its colored feather-work, and in the center of the said slab, made of stone mosaic-work, a cross of a wheel which is lined with leather, which has the color of martens.

Again: a scepter of red stone mosaic-work, made like a snake, with its head, teeth, and eyes (made) from what appears to be mother-of-pearl, and the hilt is adorned with the skin of a spotted animal, and below the said hilt hang six pieces of small feather-work.

Item: a piece of colored feather-work which the lords of this land are wont to put on their heads, and from it hang two ear-ornaments of stone mosaic-work with two bells and two beads of gold, and above a feather-work of wide green feathers, and below hang some white, long hairs.[17]

Peter Martyr, who saw the specimens in Spain shortly after they arrived, speaks of “certain miters beset with precious stones of divers colors, among which some are blue, like unto sapphires.” Also “two helmets garnished with precious stones of a whitish blue color: one of these is edged with bells and plates of gold, and under every bell two knobs of gold. The other, beside the stones wherewith it is covered, is likewise edged with XXV golden bells and knobs: and hath on the crest, a green bird with the feet, bill, and eyes of gold.”[18]

Las Casas describes “a helmet of plates of gold, and little bells hanging (from it), and on it stones like emeralds.” Also “many shields made of certain thin and very white rods, intermingled with feathers and discs of gold and silver, and some very small pearls, like misshapen pearls.”[19]

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Marshall H. Saville's 1922 monograph, published as Volume VI of the Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian Heye Foundation, focuses on a specific class of pre-Columbian luxury goods: objects decorated with turquoise mosaic. The work draws on early Spanish chronicles, museum specimens in Europe and America, and recent archaeological discoveries to trace the distribution and meaning of this art form. Saville dedicates the volume to George Gustav Heye, acknowledging the museum's role in preserving indigenous heritage, and thanks several scholars for photographs and descriptions of objects in European collections.

Early Spanish Accounts and the Grijalva Expedition

The study opens with the earliest European descriptions of turquoise mosaic, beginning with the 1518 Grijalva expedition. Saville uses these accounts to establish that such objects were among the first indigenous artworks encountered by Spaniards. The excerpts show that he treats these chronicles as primary evidence, noting specific details about the materials and colors observed. For instance, the text mentions that the Spanish described objects with "turquois" and other stones set in resin or gum. Saville does not simply repeat the accounts; he cross-references them with surviving pieces to identify continuity in technique and design. This approach allows him to argue that the mosaic tradition was widespread and highly valued in the early 16th century.

The Cenote of Chichen Itza and Nahuan Influence

A significant portion of the text discusses objects recovered from the Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza. Saville describes fragments of wooden objects with turquoise mosaic, including a small staff or scepter and a rattle containing a copper bell. He compares these to depictions in the Sahagún manuscripts, particularly the rattlestick (chicauaztli) carried by the deity Xipe Totec. The text notes that the cenote specimens resemble Nahuan prototypes, suggesting they were brought from the Mexican highlands. Saville also points to sculptural evidence from the Temple of the Jaguars, where figures wear triangular headbands and masks with turquoise mosaic, reinforcing the idea of Nahuan influence at Chichen Itza. He is careful to credit the ongoing research of Tozzer and Spinden, indicating that his analysis is preliminary.

Museum Collections and the Challenge of Provenance

Saville relies heavily on museum collections in Europe and the United States, including the British Museum, the State Natural History Museum in Vienna, and the Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum in Rome. He describes specific objects such as a wooden shield with mosaic decoration (illustrated in Plates I, XX, and XXI) and a Xolotl figure from Vienna. The text reveals the difficulty of establishing provenance for many pieces; Saville often notes that objects lack detailed excavation records. He uses stylistic comparisons to infer origins, such as linking a rattle from the cenote to Nahua territory based on its similarity to depictions in codices. The author also acknowledges the limitations of his study, noting that new photographs were not obtained for all specimens and that some descriptions rely on the courtesy of colleagues.

Saville's monograph remains a valuable resource for understanding the technical and symbolic aspects of turquoise mosaic in ancient Mexico. Readers should note that the text is organized as a series of case studies rather than a comprehensive survey, and that many of the objects discussed have since been reanalyzed. The author's reliance on early colonial sources and museum collections provides a window into the state of knowledge in the early 20th century, while his careful documentation of specific pieces offers a foundation for further research.

There’s something tender about reading Saville’s careful notes on turquoise shards pulled from the cenote—broken things still holding their blue. It makes me think of the quiet faith behind a different kind of preservation, the one shelved in How to plan a library building for library work — Themes and Context. Both are about keeping fragments safe, hoping they’ll outlast the hands that placed them.