Description
Known as the Sun Stone or “Piedra del Sol” in Spanish, this monumental Mexica sculpture from the late Postclassic period is one of the most iconic pieces of Aztec art. Measuring 358 cm across, nearly a meter thick, and weighing around 21.8 tonnes, it now resides in Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology. After the Spanish conquest, the stone was buried beneath the Zócalo—the city’s main square—and remained hidden until its accidental unearthing on December 17, 1790, during restoration work on the nearby Cathedral. It was then displayed on the Cathedral’s exterior wall until 1885. While earlier scholars believed it was made in the 1470s, current studies date its creation to between 1502 and 1521.
