Moctezuma's headdress

Moctezuma's headdress
MaterialFeathers of quetzal, Lovely cotinga, Roseate spoonbill, Piaya cayana, gold
Size116 cm (46 in) high, 175 cm (69 in) diameter
Present locationMuseum of Ethnology, Vienna, Austria
Identification10402VO
Late 17th-century portrayal of Moctezuma II, wearing a xiuhhuitzolli, which was the royal crown used by Mexica emperors.[1]

Moctezuma's headdress is a featherwork headdress or military device, (Nahuatl languages: quetzalāpanecayōtl [ketsalaːpaneˈkajoːtɬ]) which tradition holds belonged to Moctezuma II, the Aztec emperor at the time of the Spanish conquest. Additional popular spellings of the emperor's name include Moctezuma, Montezuma, and Motecuhzoma. However, the headdresses' provenance is uncertain,[2] and even its identity as a headdress has been questioned.[3] It is made of quetzal and other feathers with sewn-on gold detailing. It is now in the Weltmuseum Wien, and is a source of dispute between Austria and Mexico, as no similar pieces remain in Mexico.

  1. ^ Olko, Justyna (2014). Insignia of Rank in the Nahua World: From the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Century. University Press of Colorado. pp. 37–38, 128–130, 181. ISBN 9781607322412.
  2. ^ Johnson, Kayla (2021-08-17). "Austria Should Repatriate the Mexica Headdress". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  3. ^ Rodríguez, Ana Mónica. "El penacho de Moctezuma es una capa de sacerdote, afirma un investigador", La Jornada, versión electrónica Archived 2009-06-08 at the Wayback Machine