Nowhere in Teotihuacán was stone sculpture used as extensively for façade adornments as at the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. The basic scene, repeated around all side of the pyramid, depicts a rattlesnake whose head emerges from a feathered, flower-like ruff or collar. He carries a dragonesque helmet on his body that some consider a symbol of Teotihuacán's royalty. Sea shells strike a decidedly aquatic note and the entire tableau may be related to water, the earth and agricultural fertility. Or perhaps not. That is the fascinating thing about archaeological interpretations, they are never as cut-and-dried as E=MC2.
Written by Richard A. Diehl
