The secret of the mysterious Aztec statue in "Ancient Mexico" (8 photos)

The engraving depicts the Ancient Mexico exhibition at London's Piccadilly Circus, which was curated by William Bullock. It featured ancient Aztec artefacts.





In 1824, George IV was still on the British throne. Queen Victoria was then just 5-year-old Alexandrina Victoria, whom her royal relatives were simply planning to marry off to some prince in their neighborhood.



The 1824 Bullock Exhibition (engraving by Agostino Aglio)

In general, the Georgian era was characterized by a fascination with discoveries and an interest in other worlds. Society was genuinely fascinated by the far corners of the planet and all sorts of exotica.





Bullock Museum. Image by T. H. Shepherd

William Bullock (c. 1773-1849) first opened his museum in Liverpool in 1795, making his living as a goldsmith and jeweller. The museum's collection, including art, natural history, armour and curiosities from Captain Cook's South Sea voyages, was moved to London in 1809 and originally opened as the Liverpool Museum in Piccadilly. In 1812 he moved into the newly built Egyptian Hall, and despite its popularity, Bullock sold the contents in 1819 and rented the hall out for short-term events. Bullock's last exhibition in 1824 featured artifacts from ancient and modern Mexico collected during his travels in 1822-23.



Bullock's Egyptian Museum, 1815

The image shows that Bullock had assembled a rare collection of the most amazing Aztec treasures for his exhibition, mostly plaster casts of the originals found in his travels. The engraving, created by Italian artist Agostino Aglio, is extremely detailed and accurately depicts the artifacts of the Aztec civilization.

But if you believe it, Bullock's exhibition also includes one very curious and strange exhibit.

Unknown Statue



Montezuma's Clock

So, with the central round object, everything is clear: it is the Aztec Sun Stone, also known as the Calendar Stone. Described as the "Clock of Montezuma," it is considered perhaps the most famous piece of Aztec iconography on the planet and was discovered in 1790 during construction work on a plaza in central Mexico City that once housed an Aztec sanctuary.



Coatlicue Statue

Also featured here is the famous statue of Coatlicue, the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, the stars, and the god of the sun and war. It too has survived to this day, and the engraving accurately conveys its features in minute detail.



Sacrificial Stone

At the feet of the deity is the Tizoc Stone, also known as the Sacrificial Stone, another famous artifact of the empire. Discovered in 1791 in the Zocalo square in central Mexico City, it should have turned into rubble. But a passing churchman saw the artifact and saved it.

And on the left is a giant statue of a rising serpent with a human face peeking out of its mouth. And it is unclear what it is.



That Strange Snake

The sculpture is completely unlike any surviving Aztec artwork. And its impressive size would seem to guarantee that it would have turned up somewhere else. Indeed, other engravings from Bullock's exhibitions also depict a giant snake with a snarling snout.

Was this an exhibit created exclusively for Bullock's museum, only to be destroyed (which suggests that the face inside is an employee or visitor who has climbed onto some hidden internal stand)? Or is this some real unknown Aztec statue, hidden, forgotten and gathering dust in the depths of some museum storage facility?

Or, most mysteriously, maybe this object is not connected to the Aztecs at all? Maybe Bullock included in his exhibition some statue of an unknown culture, previously identified as Aztec, which is yet to make a sensational appearance?

At this point, no one knows. In 1825, Bullock sold the hall, which was demolished in 1905. And the mystery of the fanged monster remains unsolved. At least for now.