Exquisite Moctezuma's Headdress
Photo by Joe Klamar / Getty Images
This exquisite quetzal-ornamented Mexica headdress was first mentioned on an inventory list from 1596 as a "Moorish hat." Owned by Austrian Archduke Ferdinand II von Tyrol, some believe Hernan Cortes sent it to Europe after having received it as a gift from Mexica Emperor Moctezuma II, though there is no physical evidence that this actually belonged to Moctezuma II, nor do any records document it's original provenance other than in a letter to Charles V, in which Cortes listed a "feather headdress" as one of 160 gifts for the King.
Among experts, there is a divide between those who believe the piece was a headdress worn by the Emperor Moctezuma II, while others surmise it was a cape worn by a Mexica Priest. Measuring 1.3 meters by 1.78 meters, the piece is rather large as a headdress. On the other hand, the piece only weighs 1 kilogram, so experts argue that it could have easily been worn as a headdress. Either way, the exquisite craftsmanship and prestigious feathers certainly mark this as sacred regalia and an unlikely "gift" for a Spanish conquistador from a Mexica King.
An indigenous family admires a replica
of Moctezuma II Headdress on display
at the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
Photographer is anonymous
Amanteca means "feather artist," and is in reference to a prestigious art form among the ancients of Mesoamerica, to design impeccable, symbolic and sacred garments for use in ceremony. The Amantecas enjoyed a respected position among the Mexica due to the sacred value of their work. Everything they made was fit for Priests, Royalty, the military and the elite. They fashioned fans, headdresses, capes and shields, starting with an agave or tree-bark foundation.
Though we know almost nothing about the artists who wove this incredible garment, restoration experts observed something interesting when they studied the back of the piece: The Amanteca were a team of right and left handed weavers. As humans have a dominant side, symmetry is difficult to achieve when drawing symmetrical design. For example, when a right handed person draws a symmetrical design, the right side will always be larger than the left. Many artists use transfer paper to mitigate this issue. The fact that the Mexica employed right and left handed weavers to work on their dominant sides of this garment is evidence of just how observant and meticulous their society was and how important this particular piece of regalia was.
Exquisite Moctezuma's Headdress
Photo by Joe Klamar / Getty Images
Some interesting trivia about this piece includes the fact that the back of the headdress has been studied more than the front. Of the estimated 12,000 feathers that were used for original assembly, approximately 500 of them were quetzal tail feathers. Imagine collecting 500 quetzal tail feathers from the forest, when each male bird only possesses 2-3 feathers per year during mating season.
Other bird feathers involved in this project include pink feathers from the roseate spoonbill, blue feathers from the cotinga and brown feathers from the squirrel cuckoo. Of the 1544 pieces of metal, 85% of them are gold and 10% are silver.
It is known that several feathers were removed from the back of the artefact as gifts for visitors to Ambras Castle, where it resided for hundreds of years. All of the frontal feathers remain original.
During the most recent restoration (of which there have only been three), approximately 100 feathers were noted for damage. It was also determined that the fragile state of this piece is the direct result of gold buttons and feathers being removed (also gifted to various people), and not because the craftsmanship was flawed in any way.
Exquisite Moctezuma's Headdress
Photo by Joe Klamar / Getty Images
This powerful regalia currently resides in the ethnology museum in Vienna, now called the Weltmuseum Wien. In 2010, the Weltmuseum collaborated with INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) to restore this important and magical specimen of Mexica regalia.
There is little wonder this sacred regalia has been the subject of much controversy considering the probability of it having been an exploit of war, rather than a gift. If stolen, it seems obvious that it should be housed at the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, but even if it were gifted, many still believe it should be returned, including Blanca Barragán Moctezuma who is a descendent of the famed ruler. Ms. Moctezuma filed a lawsuit and as of 2022, Mexican President López Obrador was resuming dialogue with Austria to repatriate this prized artefact.
Regardless of how this feather masterpiece came to reside in Austria, or what political arguments are made, experts claim returning it to Mexico would put the cherished artefact at major risk of deterioration. Their main concern is that the vibration of the plane engine would do more damage to the natural fibres in one flight, than it has endured over the past 500 years. This is in part, due to the way the piece is held together, with knots holding the feathers in place. If the material crumbles, the knots will release the feathers from their positions, which would be a tragedy. INAH director Maria y Campos is on record as saying "Mexico should be able to share the piece, granted that we find the best way to send it to Mexico fully protected of any harm." With technological advances, perhaps it is possible that the artefact could return.
For Mexico and the modern Mexica, the return of this regalia is of significant importance because it is the only surviving piece of its kind, from pre-Columbian times. There remains only a handful of pre-Columbian artefacts that showcase the mesmerizing craftsmanship of the traditional amantecas. Though many museum curators advocate for treasures like this to have representation in Europe, so too can they settle for second place, as INAH and Mexico have always done. It certainly seems plausible that if the penacho returns to Mexico, the facsimile currently on display at the Museum of Anthropology could be traded to Austria instead.
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Moctezuma II, depicted in Istoria della conquista del Messico (…), Antonio de Solis, Stamperia di S.A.S. per Gio. Filippo Cecchi, 1699. Wikimedia Commons.
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