Gaspar Vargas

Chicano Studies

I went to LACMA to see the exhibit on Teotihuacan. They had a lot of stuff to look at

from pillars, to paintings, jewelry, and stone objects. They had an incredible book that had a lot

of history of Teotihuacan. The whole exhibit was amazing to experience and see all the things

my ancestors created. I gravitated towards the incense burners (La Ventilla Neighborhood 200-

350) used for burning offerings, usually have biconical base that serves as the combustion

chamber. The details on the piece was just so perfect. In the middle was a man with a cross in his

nose, an eagles beck under neath him, he was on a base that had two pillars, the smoke was

suppose to come our of the tube on top of his head. The other incense burner (La Ventilla

Neighborhood, Artisans Compound, 350-450) Ceramic, mica, and mineral pigments. Zona de

Monuments Arqueologicos de Teotihucan. At the bottom were two cylinder components put

together. On the base was 5 blocks craved with the same designs each. In the middle was is a

head with big ear buds, around it are a lot of circles and feather like objects. I really love these

two pieces, for that they were so detailed, creative, and visual appealing. They had a map of the

pyramids where located in Teotihuacan. I believe they had pieces of stone from the pyramid of

the Sun. The Sun Pyramid is Teotihucan’s largest structure and one of the most immerse of the

ancient world. Built around 200 C.E. covers more than five hundred thousand square feet, and it

rises more than two hundred feet high. These pieces were all over the middle section of the

exhibition and towards the west side also. For example, Mosaic Jaguar (Xalla residential

compound 400) Made of volcanic stones, stucco, and pigments. Very big piece length wise, you

could see two stone that are circular the are the eyes, underneath it is the nose and teeth, on both
side two pillars coming out toward us both represent the paws. One that i thought was pretty cool

and took a picture with it was the Circular Relief (Sun Pyramid, 300- 450) Made of stone. This

dramatic relief of a skull surrounded by folded paper was found near the central alter of the Sun

Plaza, in front of the Sun Pyramid. It appears to be a precedent for Mictlantecuhtli, the aztec

skeletal death deity that had an obsidian blade in place of a nose. (INAH 10-81807). It

fascinating to see the ridges that look like rays coming out of the skull, all symmetric. looks like

the skull is showing his tongue which i thought was silly. I took a lot of pictures of the things

that i really liked.