This two headed serpent was made in the 1500's and is now a permanent part of the Mexican Gallery at the British museum in London, England.

The original turquoise double headed serpent is 43.3 cm wide and 20.5 cm high. It is carved of wood and the hollow eyes were perhaps at one time covered with shells and iron pyrite. The wood carving is covered with mosaic turquoise stones. The snakes nose and mouth are adorned of white and red shell. The double headed serpent is an icon and masterpiece of Aztec/Mixtec art. 

In the 1500's the territory of the Aztecs, with it's chief city being Tenochtitlan was at a pivot point. The Aztecs had built an empire and the last great ruler was Montezuma II. The Aztec empire was a paganistic culture ruled by a pantheon of overlords and manyt of these divine figures were figuratively represented by a snake or serpent. These pagans were sun worshippers and one of the chief overlords was the plumed serpent named Quetzalcoatl. Things had taken a toll for the worst in the Aztec territories and Montezuma II was looking to appease the sun god and to do so he was carrying out sacrificial blood rituals which today we might call genocide. But it was the belief of the clan leader that the prophesized return of Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent could only come about through these sacred ceremonies. In a class structured society where kings or emperors were the rule and the priest class was doing the bidding of the emperor then it was likely that the double headed serpent icon was worn by a high priest during such ritual ceremonies.

The ceremonies did bring about a figure, namely the conquistador explorer Hernan Cortez, who brought with him a new priest class, namely the Franciscan Monks and  they began a new cult which would nearly outlaw paganism. This new Quetzalcoatl also brought about the end of the Aztec empire and the beginning of a European revolution which saw inquisitions, book burnings, and pilferage of entire city states within the crumbling Aztec empire.

But the double headed serpent remains alive at the British Museum.

Cortes had requested from the ruling Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King Charles V of Spain that the Franciscan monks be sent to new Spain in order to convert the pagan population.  England at  this point in history was divided in Germanic territories each ruled by it's own king and they were always trading ideologies amongst themselves and with the then French territories. But Spain was the richest and most powerful.

The Aztec double headed serpent and many art and archaeological facts will be part of the main exhibition at the British museum starting in September of 2009 as part of an ongoing theme of great rulers. This time it's Moctezuma II or as some people say, Montezuma.