Atlantean figures

Furthermore, the Aztecs also created warrior statues strongly inspired by these Atlantean figures in Tula.

[3] The Atlantean figures in Tula are hand-carved statues made from the available stone in the area: limestone, sandstone, and volcanic rock.

Built by the Maya people, Chichen Itza is a site located on the northern center of the Yucatan Peninsula and contains what is known as the Temple of Warriors.

Built by the Maya people, Chichen Itza is a site located on the northern center of the Yucatan Peninsula and contains what is known as the Temple of Warriors.

The Aztec Atlantean figures were inspired by the Toltec Atlantean figures, which is visible through their resembling structure and similar iconography such as their traditional military attire, spears, clay nose bars, which is symbolic of military prowess, and the butterfly breast plate.

[6] This specific setup is related to Aztec cosmology as it was representative of the axis Mundi, Tenochtitlan, and the four cardinal directions.

[3] The Aztecs constantly strived to prove their rule was divinely fated and aligned with the desires of the cosmos.

[9] The five atlantean figures may go beyond just representing the cardinal directions and axis mundi, but also to commemorate the migration led by Huitzilopochtli from Aztlan and the discovery of Tenochtitlan.

These bundles were carried by four Aztec individuals, three males and one female, who were called, Tezcacoatl, Cuauhcoatl, Apanecatl and Chimalma.

[12] The Aztec people originally migrated from Aztlan across the central highlands before they reached the valley of Mexico, where they established Tenochtitlan.

According to Richard Townsend,"[Toltecayotl] was to excel, to be worthy, to possess extraordinary qualities in the manner of the ancients.

The Aztecs viewed the Toltecs as the epitome of aesthetic sensibility, military prowess, and political success.

Furthermore, the Aztecs created chacmools, reclining figures used for rituals, based on those that they encountered in Tula.

[9] Richard Townsend has said that "the Aztecs drew on ancient artistic themes to associate themselves with the great traditions of Mesoamerican antiquary.

For example, he identifies one figure whose body is more contained within a planar, monolithic space.The expression is less defined and the carved lines are less vivid.

Townsend points out greater detail, bold lines, deeper relief, and swelling of the face.

[9] There is indication that Atlantean figures "express the rise of new kind of military order and associated types of behaviour ".

Columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula
This sculpture, created by the Olmecs, is located in the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa, Veracruz . The sculpture represents the first use of atlantes in Mesoamerica. However, it differs from the Atlantean figures in Tula because it is not in-the-round, and is instead a relief on a table.
The four monumental Atlantean figures in Tula were located on top of Pyramid B. Originally, they provided the support for a structure on top of the pyramid.
A group of Atlantean figures created by the Maya peoples from Chichen Itza
Figure from Chichen Itza , dated 900-1250
Pictures is each of the five aztec atlantean figures. Under each image is labeled which figure it was and where it was located in the original configuration.