The Sun Stone, a monumental artifact of Mexica heritage, represents their belief in various creation and destruction stages of the world. It depicts a synthesis of time, though its use may have been ceremonial, as it does not function as an actual calendar. This early 16th-century basalt sculpture was discovered on December 17, 1790, buried in Mexico City’s central square, part of what was once the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. The Stone’s original position is unknown, but it is thought to have been located about 25 miles northeast, in the Temple of the Sun. It is over 11 1/2 feet in diameter and weighs about 25 tons. Artist Michael Angulo poured six months and countless hours of research and artistry into his rendering of the Sun Stone’s worn and oft-misinterpreted intricacies. Artistic license was also taken, he says, with his use of a modern color palette that artisans of the time would not have had at their fingertips. Although the Sun Stone’s original appearance is unknown, color and ornamentation were significant in Mexica culture.
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