15The Mesoamerican Conception of the Sacred Mountain,
its Projections and Architectural Manifestations1
Alfredo López Austin,QVWLWXWRGH,QYHVWLJDFLRQHV$QWURSROyJLFDVGHOD8QLYHUVLGDG1DFLRQDO$XWyQRPDGH0p[LFR
DORSH]DXVWLQ#JPDLOFRPThis text presents initially a synthesis of the known cultural traditions known in Mesoamerica, explaining
its chronological limits, maximum extension, geography and economic foundations, in order to elucidate
what Mesoamerica as a concept is. The cultures that comprised it included the Olmec, Zapotec, theTeotihuacanos, the Maya, Toltec, Aztec etc. The text continues to refer to the common characteristics incosmovision of the diverse indigenous groups throughout their history and the sources relied upon byresearchers to understand the Mesoamerican worldview.
One of the principal ideas of Mesoamerican peoples was the conception of the cosmos as a great
machine, whose center was the pivot or axis mundi, that descended to the cold Region of the Dead andupwards to the igneous sky. This is due to the fact that Mesoamerican cosmologic thought was ruled by
the principal of opposite and complimentary forces, similar to the Asian idea of yin/yang. Precisely, theFHQWHURIWKHD[LVPXQGLZDVIRUPHGE\DURSHRIWZRFKRUGVRQH¿UHDQGRQHZDWHUWKDWIRUPHGWKHPRWRU
of the cosmos. The axis mundi reproduces itself in the four extremes of the terrestrial surface, forming fourcolumns that separate earth from sky.
In actuality, it is possible to know how old these concepts were, since they are reproduced in the symbolsof the ancient Olmec. Through them, the symbols appear in later cultures, principally the Maya and the
Teotihuacanos and would be found among the Aztec clear until the eve of the European invasion.
Some of the most important realms for the expression of these ideas are the visual arts and architecture.
The Maya, for examples, beautifully reproduced ideas related to the axis mundi in their temples and
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did so, for example representing in stone and in painting the axis mundi, the sacred mountain that is the
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of Mesoamerica. In this manner, Mesoamerican people imagined themselves as living parts of the world
mechanism, collaborators of the gods who maintained the dynamism of the cosmos. These ancient culturalexpressions were reproduced until the cultural destruction provoked by the European invasion and Christianevangelization.

179

Este texto presenta inicialmente, en forma sintética, qué se entiende por la tradición cultural
mesoamericana, explicando sus límites cronológicos, su extensión máxima, su geografía y sus bases
económicas, para dar a entender qué fue Mesoamérica, cultura que comprendió pueblos como los olmecas,
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las características comunes de la cosmovisión de los diferentes grupos indígenas a lo largo de su historia,
y de las fuentes con las que los investigadores cuentan hoy para conocer el pensamiento mesoamericano.
Una de las ideas principales de los mesoamericanos fue concebir el cosmos como una gran maquinaria,
cuyo centro era el Eje o axis mundi, que descendía hasta la fría Región de la Muerte y llegaba hasta elCielo, considerado ígneo. Esto se debe a que el pensamiento cosmológico mesoamericano se regía por
un principio de opuestos complementarios, semejante a la idea asiática del yin/yang. Precisamente, el
centro del axis mundi está formado por una cuerda de dos corrientes, una de fuego y otra de agua, que
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formando cuatro columnas que son las que separan la Tierra del Cielo.
Actualmente se puede saber qué tan antiguas eran estas concepciones, ya que están reproducidas en lasimbología de los antiguos olmecas. A partir de ellos, los símbolos aparecerán en culturas muy posteriores,
principalmente entre los mayas y los teotihuacanos, y llegarán hasta los aztecas, ya en vísperas de lainvasión europea.
Unos de los ámbitos más importantes para la expresión de estas ideas son las artes visuales y laarquitectura. Los mayas, por ejemplo, reprodujeron bellamente ideas relacionadas con el axis mundi
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pintura. Así lo hicieron, por ejemplo, representando en la piedra y en la pintura el axis mundo, el Monte
Sagrado que está en el axis, la cueva del Monte, el árbol sagrado que está en la cúspide del Monte, etc.
Fue una costumbre compartida por los demás pueblos de Mesoamérica. En esta forma, los hombres
mesoamericanos se imaginaban como partes vivas del mecanismo del mundo, colaboradores de los dioses
en la función de mantener la dinámica del cosmos. Estas manifestaciones culturales, tan antiguas, sehicieron hasta la destrucción cultural provocada por la invasión europeo y la evangelización cristiana.

180

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Figure 15.1.
Map of Mesoamerica.



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Figure 15.3.

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Figure 15.2.
Schematic of the Sacred Mountain.
Sacred Mountain

FloweringTree

Upper mouth

Primordial
watersOwner God’s
house
Great warehouse where
the seed-hearts await
the opportunity toemerge again and form
part of the creatures of
their respective species

Lower mouth

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DQGSURWHFWRUVRIWKHDQLPDOV7KHLUSOXYLDOFKDUDFWHULVWKXVGHULYHGIURPWKHPGLVSHQVLQJWKHZDWHUIURPWKHZDUHKRXVH$VWRWKHLUSHUVLVWHQFHDVSURWHFWRUVRIIDXQD
LWLVZRUWKQRWLQJDP\WKIRXQGDPRQJWKH;;FHQWXU\1DKXDRI9HUDFUX],Q=RQJROLFDWKH\WHOOWKDWWKHGRJVDVVHPEOHGDPHHWLQJWRDYRLGWKHDEXVHJLYHQWKHPE\Figure 15.5.

SHRSOH7KH\DJUHHGWRWDNHWKHFRPSODLQWWRWKHLUSURWHFWRU

2OPHF¿JXUHVRQULWXDOFHOWVZLWKVDFUHGPRXQWDLQPRWLIVGHLW\PRUHLPSRUWDQWO\WKH\FDOOHGKLP7ODORF 8HMNDXLWO.DUO$7DXEH  LGHQWL¿HVWKH¿JXUHRIWKHTXLQFXQ[QDXDXHXHLWODMWROLSS on these celts.

7KH WHUDWRPRUSKLF UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ RI WKH VDFUHG
PRXQWDLQ ZDV SDVVHG RQ E\ WKH 2OPHF WR RWKHU
0HVRDPHULFDQFXOWXUHV6SHFLDODWWHQWLRQLVSDLGWRWKH
ORZHURSHQLQJRIWKHVDFUHGPRXQWDLQZKHUHWKHYHJHWDOULFKQHVVHPHUJHV /ySH]$XVWLQ\/ySH]/XMiQSS ,Q/DWH3UHFODVVLF %&( ,]DSDWKH
PDZRIWKHHDUWKPRQVWHULVVKRZQLQDVLPSOHJHRPHWULF
VW\OH )LJXUHD 'XULQJWKH&ODVVLF &( DPRQJ WKH 0D\D WKH IDFH RI WKH PRQVWHU DFTXLUHV D
PRWOH\DUFKLWHFWXUDOFRPSOH[LW\DWWKHHQWUDQFHVRIWKRVH184

WHPSOHV )LJXUHE ,QFRQWUDVWGXULQJWKHVDPHWLPH

Figure 15.7.

SHULRGWKHUHLVWKHPRUHVLPSOL¿HG³PRXWKRIWKHVN\´

Representaions of the lower maw of the sacred mountain

RIWKH=DSRWHF )LJXUHVFH ZKLOHLQSDLQWLQJLWLV

cave.

VKRZQLQDEEUHYLDWHGIRUPDQGJHRPHWULFOLQHVDURXQGWKHFRUQLFHVRIEXLOGLQJV )LJXUHI 7KHVDPHVLPSOLFLW\DSSHDUVDW7HRWLKXDFDQ )LJXUHJ DQGLQDQDUFKDL]LQJ
0H[LFDPXUDORQWKHHYHRIWKH6SDQLVKFRQTXHVW )LJXUHK ,QWKHVDPHWLPHSHULRGDIUDQN¿JXUHRIWKHPDZ
DW0DOLQDOFRLQFHQWUDO0H[LFRDWWKHHQWUDQFHRIWKHFKDSHORIWKH7HPSOHRIWKH(DJOHVDQG-DJXDUV )LJXUHL 

Figure 15.6.
Three Classic Maya examples and one from Postclassic
Central Mexico representing the sacred tree as a cruciform
maize plant.

NoteD,]DSDE)DoDGHRI0D\DWHPSOH6WUXFWXUHIURP7DEDVTXHxR FH 'HWDLOV RI =DSRWHF PXUDOV I =DSRWHF
VWDFNHGFRUQLFHVJ'HWDLORI7HRWLKXDFDQPXUDOK'HWDLORIDUFKDL]LQJPXUDOIURPWKH7HPSOR0D\RU0H[LFR7HQRFKWLWODQL(QWUDQFHWRWKH7HPSOHRIWKH(DJOHVDQG-DJXDUV0DOLQDOFR

7KHKXPDQUHSUHVHQWDWLRQVRIWKHVDFUHGPRXQWDLQRUWKRVHZLWKKXPDQRLGIHDWXUHVKDYHDOVREHHQLQKHULWHGE\ODWHU0HVRDPHULFDQFXOWXUHV2QHH[DPSOHIURPWKH
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RIWKH/RUGRIWKH8QGHUZRUOG2YHUKLPWKH¿JXUHRIWKH
VDFUHGPRXQWDLQVWDQGVZLWKDKXPDQIDFHDQGDERYHWKH
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WUHH$OVRIURPWKH&ODVVLFWKH7HSDQWLWODPXUDOVIURP7HRWLKXDFDQ )LJXUH VKRZWKHVDFUHGPRXQWDLQDV
DIDFHDQGDUPVDQGE\WKH/DWH3RVWFODVVLFLQthe Codex
CospiIURPFHQWUDO0H[LFRWZRKXPDQL]HGSDLQWLQJV
NoteD6DUFRSKDJXVRI3DNDOE7DEOHWRIWKH)ROLDWHGDSSHDU²RQHRIWKHVDFUHGPRXQWDLQDQGWKHRWKHURIWKH

&URVV3DOHQTXHF7DEOHWRIWKH&URVV3DOHQTXHGCodex

FRVPLFWUHH )LJXUH 

Borgia3ODWH

185

Figure 15.8.
Maya sculpture of Altún Ha, Belize.

7KHzoomorphicWHUDWRPRUSKLFDQGDQWKURSRPRUSKLF
UHSUHVHQWDWLRQVRIWKHVDFUHGPRXQWDLQDUHLQWHQGHGWRSHUVRQLI\DFRVPRORJLFHQWLW\,QRWKHUZRUGVWKHVHLPDJHVUHFRJQL]HWKHVDFUHGPRXQWDLQDVDQDQWKURSLFFKDUDFWHUWRZKRPRQHFDQDVNIRUFKLOGUHQUDLQJHUPLQDWLRQRISODQWVUHSURGXFWLRQRIDQLPDOVUHJXODULW\LQWKHOXPLQRXVERGLHVRIWKHKHDYHQVWRZKRPRQHFDQSURSLWLDWHIRUSODJXHVRUGLVHDVHWRHPHUJHIURPLWVZDUHKRXVHDQGWRZKRPRQHJLYHVR൵HULQJVDQGVDFUL¿FHVWKDWHQWHUWKURXJKWKH
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DJRG7KLVJRGLVLGHQWL¿HGZLWKLWV'XHxR$V-RKDQQD
%URGDD൶UPHGERWKDUHDVSHFWVRIWKHVDPHGLYLQLW\)LJXUH  %URGDSS 7KHPRVWRYHUZKHOPLQJSURRILVWKHFRQFHSWLRQRIWKHJRG7HSH\yORWORIWKH0H[LFD )LJXUH ZKLFKDVDWWKHVDPHWLPH
WKHPRXQWDLQDQGDQDQWKURSRPRUSKLFJRGGUHVVHGLQDMDJXDU¶VSHOW
Figure 15.10.
Two anthropomorphic representations from the Codex
Cospi.

Figure 15.9.
Detail of Tepantitla mural, Teotihuacan.

Note.D)ORZHULQJ7UHH3ODWHE6DFUHGPRXQWDLQ3ODWH

186

Figure 15.11.

Figure 15.12.

Tlaloc and Sacred Mountain. Codex Vaticano Latino 3738,

Images of the god Tepeyólotl

fol. 48v .

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SURMHFWLWVRZQEHLQJWRUHSURGXFHLWVHOILQRWKHUEHLQJV

Remensis,IROYFCodex Borbonicus3ODWHGCodex Cospi,
3ODWHWKDWZLOOJLYHLWRWKHUIDFXOWLHV7KH¿UVWSURMHFWLRQRIWKH
PRXQWDLQLVWRZDUGVWKHIRXUH[WUHPHVRIWKHWHUUHVWULDOSODLQVLQFHWKHWUHHVDQGFROXPQVWKDWVXVWDLQWKHVN\DUH

Figure 15.13.

PHUHO\UHSURGXFWLRQVRIWKHaxis mundi )LJXUH 

Schematic projection of the cosmic tree of the four corners

7KH\DUHDOVRWKHFRPPXQLFDWLRQOLQHVWKURXJKZKLFKWKH

forming the columns that sustain the sky.

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FROGVWUXJJOHWKHGRRUVRIFRPPXQLFDWLRQEHWZHHQWKH
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187

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REFERENCES CITED

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189