Aztec Sun Stone (Calendar Stone)

The Aztec Sun Stone (Piedra del Sol) is a massive basalt disk carved with the face of the sun god Tonatiuh at its center, surrounded by rings depicting the Aztec cosmos and calendar. Created around 1500 CE during the reign of Moctezuma II, the stone weighs approximately 24 tons and measures nearly 12 feet in diameter. Despite its popular name "Calendar Stone," the sculpture served as a ceremonial monument rather than a practical calendar.

The central face shows Tonatiuh's tongue as a sacrificial knife, demanding blood offerings to sustain the sun's daily journey. Surrounding rings depict the four previous world ages destroyed by jaguars, wind, fire, and flood, with the current fifth sun destined to end in earthquakes. Spanish conquistadors buried the stone after conquering Tenochtitlan; it was rediscovered in 1790 during plaza renovations in Mexico City.

The Sun Stone anchors the Mexica Hall at the Museo Nacional de Antropología.