Mesoamerica - Mixtec Puebla: When Pots Told Stories

What if a pot could be read like a book?

In the second part of their journey through Mesoamerica, Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh travel to the great ancient city of Cholula – a bustling centre of trade, pilgrimage and cultural exchange – to explore the extraordinary ceramics of the Mixtec-Puebla tradition.

Painted with gods, symbols and intricate bands of imagery, these highly prized vessels transformed clay into a sophisticated visual language that could communicate across cultures and linguistic barriers. From stories of warfare and sacrifice to sunlight, death and the worship of the gods, they reveal a world in which ceramics could be read as well as admired.

Traded across vast distances, these remarkable pots offer a glimpse into the beliefs, rituals and interconnected cultures of Mesoamerica – and lead us towards the rise of the Aztec Empire.

Map of Mixteca-Puebla and Mesoamerica, Creative Commons Map of Cholula George Vaillant, archaeologist, ca. 1937, Creative Commons, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clapp_Vaillant#/media/File:AMNH_staff,_1937.jpg Pyramids of the Sun, Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan, Mexico, by Burkhard Mücke created by SA CC 4.0 Map of Cholula, Ttlaxcala, 1581 Pyramid of Cholula, Ca. 1813, Alexander von Humboldt Pedestal Bowl, 1300–1500 CE, Mixtec artists, The Met Collection, Public Domain Vessel with Codex-Style Scenes, Creative Commons, Mixteca-Puebla Pottery Vessel, c. 1300–1521, Codex Borgia, from the 1898 Faximilie Edition, Public Domain, Creative Commons Bowl, 1200–1400, Mixtec, Oaxaca, Mexico, National Gallery of Victoria, Public Domain Pedestal Cup from Cholula, c. 1350–1521, Public Domain, Leo Stein Collection, National Museum of the American Indian, New York. Thematic Complexes on Codex-Style Vessels from Cholula, Mixteca-Puebla, Americae, Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Tripod Vase Polichrome Ceramic, 1300–1521 Bowl with Rattle Base, c. 900–1519, Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain Censer with the Complex of Powerful Lords and Deities, Mixteca-Puebla, Americae, Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Codex, 1200–1521, Mixteca Whistle with the Maize God emerging from the Flower, 600 – 900 CE, The Met Collection, Public Domain Cholula-Style Ceramic Goblet with Skeletal Serpent and Mountain Sign, Mixteca-Puebla, 1300 – 1500 CE Rain God Mask, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Met Collection, Public Domain Sun and Light Painted on Middle Polychrome Plate, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Polychrome Figural Vessel of Chicomecoatl, c. 1000–1500, Mixteca-Puebla Goblet with a Complex of Darkness, Ca. 1300 – 1500, Mixtec Goblet, Ca. 1000 – 1500 Polychrome Ceramic Bowl, 800–1300, Mexico, Penn Museum, Public Domain Pulque Drinking Cup, 900–1519, Cholula, Mixteca-Puebla style, Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain Montezuma in the Codex Mendoza, 16th century, Creative Commons, Public Domain Mixteca-Puebla Pottery Vessel, c. 1300–1521, The Met Collection, Public Domain Links on Flightcast For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks