Museum show is monument to Aztec ruler

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The one-tonne, 1.5-metre stone sculpture known as the Teocalli of Sacred Warfare was commissioned by the great Aztec ruler Moctezuma II.

Museum curators managed to persuade Mexico to part temporarily with some of its greatest treasures by promising to restore the reputation of the ruler who is known in Europe as a tragic figure who lost his empire.

Moctezuma will be shown instead as a successful warrior and great ruler within his own tradition. Under his rule, from 1502 to 1520, the Aztec empire reached its height.

The Spanish landed in Moctezuma's empire in 1517. Three years later, Moctezuma died - some reports say he was killed by his own people who pelted him with rocks in anger at his complicity with the Spanish invaders, other accounts say he was executed by the Spanish.

More than 5,000 tickets have been sold for the show - to be held in the Reading Room. Dr Colin McEwan, the curator, said: "The Teocalli is the centrepiece of the show and it is placed right under the centre point of the dome. Even colleagues who have seen a lot of installations gasp when they see it."

The Teocalli monument, a sort of altar, dates from 1507. Its carvings show the importance of the ruler and his role in maintaining cosmic order. It is being loaned by the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

The exhibition also includes an exquisite turquoise mosaic mask, gold work showing the craftsmanship of the Aztec court and paintings, known as "enconchados", which portray the Spanish conquest with inlaid mother-of-pearl detail. Most have not been seen in the UK.

Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler, sponsored by ArcelorMittal, opens on 24 September and runs until 24 January, with admission charge.

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