{"id":13082,"date":"2020-01-16T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=13082"},"modified":"2019-12-13T09:01:28","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T14:01:28","slug":"austria-and-mexico-joint-effort-to-preserve-aztec-headdress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/austria-and-mexico-joint-effort-to-preserve-aztec-headdress\/","title":{"rendered":"Austria and Mexico: Joint Effort to Preserve Aztec Headdress"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Welt Museum Wien or the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna holds one of the most precious items left from the Aztec empire: Emperor Moctezuma’s headdress. This beautiful headdress or penacho<\/em> is an iconic artefact of the museum and a go-to point for most Mexicans in Vienna.<\/p>\n

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Personal Photograph<\/p><\/div>\n

The Aztecs and Moctezuma<\/h3>\n

The\u00a0Imperio Azteca<\/em> or the Aztec empire was really a strategic union between three city\/states Tenochtitl\u00e1n, Texcoco and Tlacopan between 1428 and 1521. Although the idea was that the three city\/states would have equal power, the military strength of Tenochtitl\u00e1n tilted the balance and eventually gained the most power thus making Tenochtitl\u00e1n the centre of the imperio<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Moctezuma II ruled Tenochtitl\u00e1n and the Aztec empire from 1502 to 1520. During his lifetime, the Aztec empire reached its most grand size with many smaller groups and territories as far south as Chiapas (southern tip of Mexico) forcefully incorporated into the empire.\u00a0Los lideres<\/em> or the rulers\u00a0of the different cities were free to do as they pleased so long as they paid a semi-annual alliance to the capital. In return, these territories received protection as well as the use of economic resources and deals of Tenochtitl\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

In 1517, the Spanish arrived on the coasts of the Aztec Empire and, in 1519, when Hern\u00e1n Cort\u00e9z arrived, Moctezuma sent emissaries. Shortly after, Moctezuma and Cort\u00e9s met and here is where the story gets tricky. According to Cort\u00e9s’s writings, Moctezuma quickly gave up his trono<\/em> or\u00a0throne as emperor while other records indicate that there were plenty of language issues that limited the conversation between the two. Regardless of how easy the transition was, we do know that the Spanish conquistardores<\/em> eventually massacred the Aztecs thus ending the empire in 1521.<\/p>\n

El Penacho<\/h3>\n

Moctezuma was an emperor or\u00a0emperador<\/em> similar to the emperors we know of other parts of the world: he was\u00a0poderoso <\/em>or powerful and he was rich. Just like other emperors from the world would parade in lavish clothes and jewellery,\u00a0Moctezuma had different penachos<\/em> or headdresses for different occasions. These\u00a0penachos\u00a0<\/em>were made with feathers from beautiful birds and there was a different\u00a0penacho\u00a0<\/em>for different activities.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there is only one\u00a0penacho<\/em> dating back to the Aztec Empire left, and, unfortunately for Mexicans, this penacho\u00a0<\/em>is in Vienna and not in Mexico. The Museum of Ethnology in Vienna<\/a> holds this priceless piece of history in its permanent collection. There is no clear story as to how this beautiful headdress made it’s way to Austria, but it must have been sent at some point by Cort\u00e9s and some of his people to Spain together with other artefacts. For many years, there were doubts as to what this object was, but in 1908, it was finally agreed upon that the research pointed that this was a headdress or\u00a0penacho\u00a0<\/em>thus increasing its value and importance.<\/p>\n

La replica en Mexico<\/h3>\n

For many years, Mexico tried to get the\u00a0penacho<\/em> back to its place of origin. Austria, however, did not agree. Eventually, a joint team of Mexican and Austrian researchers were able to work together restoring the headdress to its current glory. After this research, however, it was determined that the feathers were in such a delicate state that a trip to Mexico would compromise its integrity. You can read more about the penacho<\/em> in this article from National Geographic Espa\u00f1a<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But not all is lost! At the\u00a0Museo de Antropolog\u00eda<\/em> in Mexico City, you can see a beautiful replica of the original headdress. The Museum of Ethnology in Vienna also offers free entrance to Mexicans (with a valid ID) to see this beautiful piece of our history. While these two options are not ideal in regards to cultural ownership, it is the only way to preserve this beautiful headdress that is full of mystery and beauty.<\/p>\n

If you want to find out more about the\u00a0Penacho de Moctezuma<\/em>, you can see the documentary below.<\/p>\n