The Aztecs were an ancient civilization that flourished in central Mexico from the 14th to the 16th century. Color played an important symbolic role in their culture and religious practices. Some key colors and their significance for the Aztecs were:
Red
Red held great meaning for the Aztecs and was considered one of the most sacred colors. It symbolized blood, war, sacrifice, strength, and life energy. The gods were believed to have created humans from their blood, and red was seen as the color of life and heart energy. Red dyes were made from the cochineal insect and the amaranth plant. Red was connected to the east, the glyph for water, and was worn by warriors and priests.
Blue
Blue represented sacrifice, divinity, and nobility for the Aztecs. They made blue dyes from indigo plants. Blue was associated with the sky, smoke, the rain god Tlaloc, and fire. It was the color of the city of Tenochtitlan. Nobles and priests often wore blue. Turquoise, in both blue and green shades, was highly prized. The Aztecs believed it symbolized water, stone, flowers, and the sea.
Green
Green symbolized precious things for the Aztecs, like jade, quetzal feathers, malachite, and chalchiuites (greenstones). It was connected to water and vegetation and represented wealth and prosperity. Green dyes came from moss, leaves, and other plants. The quetzal bird had iridescent blue-green tail feathers which were sacred to the god Quetzalcoatl. Green was worn by merchants and traders.
Yellow/Gold
Yellow and gold signified wealth, corn, the sun, and ripeness for the Aztecs. Maize was central to their society and yellow corn was especially prized. Gold represented the sun and was seen as the sweat of the sun gods. Other yellow items like feathers and amber were precious. Yellow dyes came from ochre, turmeric, and pomegranate rinds. Yellow was associated with the south and was worn by nobility and priests.
Purple
Purple was a rare, prestigious color for the Aztecs obtained from mollusks. It signified royalty, rulership, and high status. The high priests and Aztec emperors wore purple. It was associated with power, authority, and wisdom. Purple was connected to the west and to flowers.
White
White symbolized purity, divinity, and the heavens. It represented the moon, stars, clouds, cotton, bones, metal, the west, and the world of the dead. White was the color of the god Quetzalcoatl. Aztec priests and the nobility wore white cotton capes. Fine white cotton served as a form of currency in the Aztec empire.
Black
Black represented darkness, the night, the underworld, obscurity, and the realm of the dead. It was seen as a neutral color associated with the north, death, sacrifice, and conflict. Obsidian, a form of black volcanic glass, held ritual meaning. Warriors painted themselves black for night battles. Commoners wore black clothing.
| Color | Symbolism & Meaning | Items & Materials | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Blood, war, sacrifice, strength, life energy | Cochineal, amaranth | East |
| Blue | Sacrifice, divinity, nobility | Indigo, turquoise | Center |
| Green | Preciousness, wealth, prosperity | Jade, quetzal feathers, malachite | North |
| Yellow/Gold | Wealth, corn, sun, ripeness | Ochre, turmeric, pomegranate | South |
| Purple | Royalty, rulership, high status | Mollusks | West |
| White | Purity, divinity, heavens | Cotton, bones, metal | West |
| Black | Darkness, underworld, death | Obsidian | North |
Red in Aztec Art & Architecture
Red was prominently featured in Aztec art and architecture. Frescoes, painted ceramics, featherwork, and codices contained vibrant shades of red produced from cochineal dyes. Red was used to paint temples, statues, and monumental structures. The Templo Mayor, the great temple at the heart of Tenochtitlan, had a red facade. Red was also used to decorate soldiers, captives, and deities in pictorial scenes. The bright red trappings of jaguars and eagles invoked the power of warriors and rulers.
Red in Rituals & Ceremonies
Red held deep ritual meaning for the Aztecs and took on a sacred, ceremonial role. In the New Fire Ceremony, which was held every 52 years at the end of an Aztec century, priests wore red paper and red amaranth flowers were ceremonially cremated and beaten into a fine powder to produce the new fire. Captives were adorned with red before their sacrifice, representing the vital energy offered to the gods. Red ochre paint was ritualistically applied to faces of deities like Xiuhtecuhtli, the fire god. Funerals of rulers and nobles involved rubbing the body with red ochre.
Red in Aztec Cosmology
In the Aztec worldview, red symbolized the eastern direction which was associated with light, dawn, and springtime. Their cosmic diagrams divided the world into four directions, with each assigned a color. Red represented wisdom, rule, and spiritual strength in the east. The eastern sky was seen as red, being the first illuminated by the life-giving sun each dawn. Red dyes came from the east, through trade with the Oaxaca region. The red-tailed hawk was the orienting bird of the east.
The Many Shades of Red
The Aztecs recognized and utilized many distinct shades and varieties of red. Different reds conveyed specific meanings. Deep scarlet red signified warfare and sacrifice. Bright crimson represented fertility and new life. Duller brick reds were connected to maturity and autumn. Dark burgundy shades were associated with death and the underworld. Aztec artists mixed reds with other colors to produce unique hues, like the orange-red seen on pictorial codices.
Red in Aztec Legends & Myths
Red colors featured prominently in Aztec legends and mythology. The creation story described how the god Quetzalcoatl journeyed to the underworld to restore bones to the Cycle of Life, sprinkling them with his own blood to generate new human life. Another myth told of the Legend of the Suns, where the gods sacrificed their own blood to create a new sun after the destruction of the previous ones. Red symbolized the sacred offering of divine lifeblood.
The Importance of Cochineal Red
The cochineal insect was the source of the rich red pigment that had both sacred and economic importance for the Aztecs. Cochineal thrived on prickly pear cacti in Oaxaca and was highly prized. Red cochineal dye was traded throughout Mesoamerica. The exceptional color fastness and saturation of cochineal made it superior to other reds. It was ten times more valuable than gold and prized even over cacao beans.
Red in Aztec Economy & Tribute
Red textiles and cochineal dye cakes were a vital part of the Aztec system of trade and tribute. Conquered regions paid annual tribute in the form of clothes dyed with cochineal and bolts of red fabrics. Cochineal-dyed cotton mantles were part of the insignia of office awarded to provincial governors installed by the Aztecs. Luxurious cloaks made with red feathers were also given as elite gifts.
Red Symbolized Military Might
For the martial Aztec society, red was emblematic of warfare and powerful warriors. Red was the color of Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war and sun who demanded blood sacrifice. The acclaimed Aztec Jaguar and Eagle warriors painted their faces, costumes, and weapons bright red to instill fear in enemies. Red banners and shields signaled battle. Defeated soldiers presented red banners to conquerors as a sign of surrender.
Red Conveyed Social Status
Red dyes, textiles, and face paint were sometimes restricted to Aztec nobles and royalty. Laws limited commoners from wearing vibrant reds, which were the province of elite warriors and priests. Only rulers could wear the treasured quetzal feathers. As red signified bravery and status, warriors given the rank of Cuauhchicqueh were awarded red costumes. High-ranking lords had red face paint applied daily.
Red in Aztec Religion
Red was interwoven into Aztec religious rites, deities, and temples. Gods like Xipe Totec and Huitzilopochtli had their statues painted red and offerings of red flowers made to them. Red copal incense was burned at ceremonies. Ritual feathers and paper were dyed red for ceremonies. Red maize and amaranth paste was used to form sacred images of gods to be worshipped and then eaten. Pilgrimages converged on the brilliant red Templo Mayor.
Decline of Red’s Significance
The sacred, prestigious connotations of brilliant reds began to break down after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. Luxury reds were still valued in the colonial society for their beauty, but without the powerful indigenous religious and social meanings attached to them. Cochineal remained an important export, but was exported to Europe to become a fashionable textile dye rather than holding religious significance.
Rediscovery of Ancient Red Pigments
In recent decades, scholars have worked to decode the mysteries of the highly symbolic red pigments used by the Aztecs. Spectrometry and chemical analysis have identified the compounds that made up their vivid reds. Examining the stratified remains of offerings in the Templo Mayor has revealed the changing use of red minerals and dyes over time. Scholars appreciate how red functioned both pragmatically and symbolically in Aztec society.
Conclusion
Red held a unique primacy among the Aztecs. It embodied concepts central to their worldview: blood and sacrifice, vitality and strength, status and military might. The multifaceted symbolism of red integrated their religion, economy, social structure, and arts. While purple was rarer, the ubiquity of vibrant reds derived from cochineal dyes and ochre pigments made it the color that most profoundly shaped Aztec civilization and remains a signature aspect of their cultural legacy.