This offering by Golden State Mint has an Aztec theme to it. The conquests of the Spanish eliminated the once-powerful Aztec Empire, which thrived in the Central American region from the 14th through the 16th centuries of the Common Era (C.E.). The invasion of the Spanish brought diseases previously unknown to the New World, most notably smallpox. Many of the indigenous people died from smallpox, while others died while fighting the invaders to their homeland.

On the obverse (front) of this piece is Cuauhtémoc, the last ruler of that empire. More information provided by Golden State Mint:
The obverse of the round depicts the left-facing profile of the final Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtemoc. The image was inspired by the timeless iconography of the 1947-1948 silver 5 Pesos Mexican coin obverse. The reverse of the round features the famous Aztec Calendar. This archaeological and cultural landmark features the Aztec Sun God, Tonatiuh, the leader of Heaven. This calendar represents four previous eras and the current era in which we are living. [source]

The calendar of the Aztecs is a wondrous thing, in itself. Their calculations were a complex system of a 365-day civil /agricultural cycle aligned with another 260-day (13-days × 20-weeks) ritual cycle. These two cycles synchronized every 52-years into a cohesive whole. Each of the days and weeks was represented by a particular deity and a natural phenomenon of animals (jaguar, deer, snake, etc.) or an element (water, grass, flint, etc.). Thus, particular days could bear names such as: "7 rabbit 1 wind 5 reed" as well as a governing deity. For a civilization which the Spaniards might have considered barbaric or uncultured at best, the Aztec Calendar was a testament to the Aztec people's creativity, mathematical ability, and alertness to the heavens and the world around them.

The detail on the back of this silver round is superb, struck very beautifully by the mint, and is a work-of-art all unto itself. The photos above and below show some of this fine detail.

This is actually a piece that I've wanted in my collection for a while and I was glad to be able to get it at a good price! I appreciate my readers' sharing in the beauty of it with me!

SOURCES 1 eBay.com: Aztec Calendar 1 oz Silver Round 2 GoldenStateMint.com: 1 oz Aztec Calendar Silver Round 3 Wikipedia: Aztec Calendar 4 Wikipedia: Aztecs 5 Wikipedia: Cuauhtémoc





05-Mar-2020
Return from Aztec Silver Round to 𝕜𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕪's Web3 Blog