Coateocalli – Aztec Deities in Vienna (en Inglés) - Gerard W. van Bussel

The Mexica people housed images of conquered deities in the Coateocalli, a temple located at the heart of Tenochtitlan’s religious center. It was an early example of religious images removed from their original contexts and stored together elsewhere. The temple serves as a metaphor for later private and public collections. The earliest Mexican artifacts in the Weltmuseum Wien date back to the 16th-century Habsburg treasuries and chambers of curiosities, as well as their imperial collection. Some pieces are so impressive and unique that today they are considered part of the Aztec art canon. The Weltmuseum Wien’s collection includes stone and ceramic sculptures of deities, vessels, as well as lapidary work, obsidian and jade pieces, textiles, inlaid turquoise items, gold and wooden artifacts, codices, and the famous featherworks.