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Douglas Houck | all galleries >> Cities >> Mexico City Vacation > Mural of Tlālōcān (400 CE)
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11-Nov-2024 Douglas Houck

Mural of Tlālōcān (400 CE)

Mural of Tlālōcān (Paradise of Tlaloc) within the Palacio de Tepantitla.

"One mural in particular stands out, and is considered by many the most impressive mural of all
Teotihuacán: the mural of Tlālōcān.
In Aztec mythology, Tlālōcān was the marvelous underworld ruled over
by the water deity Tlaloc, and could be accessed by people who died from drowning,
lightning, or an illness associated with water."

In the painting, a number of small figurines seem to play or dance around a hill
formed by waterfalls and rivers of water. Unlike other murals that have been found
throughout the area, where the same figures are repeated, each character in this painting
is unique.

Behind a column it has even been possible to identify a small dentist that is extracting a tooth.

What I found intriguing are the number of butterflies depicted throughout the mural
starting with four characters (3 with speech bubbles) chasing a butterfly in the upper left.
The butterflies were a sign of transformation. For the later Aztecs, deceased warriors
transformed into butterflies.

Speech bubbles, or speech scrolls, are a common feature in Teotihuacan art,
appearing in murals, on pottery, and on monuments. They are used to indicate that a
character is speaking or chanting, but there is usually no indication of what they are saying.

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