Pre-Columbian Evidence of Axis-Mundi
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| Chichen Itza - Maya |
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| Folio 1 of the Fejervery - Mayer - Aztec |
One thing that I noticed appeared
all over the place in my pre-Columbian class was the amazing amount of
references to the Axis-mundi in the sculptural and ceramic work of the many cultures
that represent pre-Columbian art. As everyone is probably already aware, the
Axis mundi is described as a connecting place between the the world of humans
and the world of the divine and meets at the intersection of the four cardinal
directions. This idea is replicated in many different mediums and forms
throughout the pre-Columbian world, most strikingly in the construction of
pyramids, such as those constructed at Teotihuacan and Tikal. These radial
buildings that have stairs on each side, typically line up with the four
cardinal directions, with the center acting as the axis mundi. The axis mundi
motif is also emulated in pictorial representations in codex’s and on many different
thrones of rulers around Mesoamerica as a way to link the ruling individual to
the authority of the divine. Because of the frequency with which we find these motifs
of the axis mundi around Mesoamerica, linking humans to the divine must have been
an important aspect of ritual life, that would have helped to ensure safety
and well-being.
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