The Reptile´s Eye Glyph: The Calendar Name of the Butterfly Bird God in Teotihuacan and during the Epiclassic Period
Abstract
This work starts with a discussion of how to distinguish between gods and mortals in Teotihuacan art, and a review of the myth of the Butterfly Bird God. Subsequently, based on an analysis of different iconographic contexts in which the Butterfly Bird God is observed in Teotihuacan art, I propose that the Reptile's Eye glyph may have functioned as the name of this deity. I also establish the existence of images of the Butterfly Bird God in the Epiclassic Period which are accompanied by the Reptile's Eye glyph, on the Ixtapaluca Plaque and Xochicalco Stela 1, and propose a new interpretation for the Xochicalco triad of stelae. As the calendar name of this deity during the Epiclassic Period was 7 Reptile's Eye, I propose that the unnumbered glyph might have been part of its calendar name in the Teotihuacan period.
Downloads
Article download
Crossmark
License
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Revista Española de Antropología Americana is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
