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The Giant Aztec Sun Stone!

Imagine a giant stone calendar that tells stories of the sun and ancient gods! It's super old and super heavy!

Images

Aztec Sun Stone or Calendar Stone

Aztec Sun Stone or Calendar Stone

openverse
Aztec Sun stone depicting their concept of the universe
Aztec Sun Stone
aztec sun stone
Aztec Sun Stone
Aztec Sun Stone
Aztec Sun Stone & Statues
Aztec Sun Stone
Cooper School With Aztec Sun Stone & Coyolxauhqui
aztec sun stone
Aztec Sun Stone
Aztec Sun Stone (Calendar Stone) Copy

Key Facts

Monument Type
A large, carved stone sculpture. It's like a giant calendar and symbol of the sun.
Location
Mexico City, Mexico, at the National Anthropology Museum.
Approximate Age
Carved between 1502 and 1521, making it over 500 years old.
Weight
Weighs about 54,210 pounds (24,590 kg), which is heavier than many elephants!
Diameter
Measures about 12 feet (3.6 meters) across, wider than a school bus.

Meet the Giant Stone!

This amazing stone is called the Aztec Sun Stone. It's like a giant, ancient clock made of rock! It's so big, it's wider than a school bus and weighs as much as a herd of elephants! The Aztecs, who lived a long, long time ago, carved this incredible stone. It's one of the most famous things they ever made. It's so special that it's kept safe in a museum in Mexico City so everyone can see it.

Where Did It Come From?

This giant stone was made by the Mexica people, who were also known as the Aztecs. They carved it a very, very long time ago, sometime between the years 1502 and 1521. That's even before your grandparents' grandparents were born!

After the Spanish came, the stone was hidden underground for a long time. It was found again in 1790 when people were fixing a big church called the Mexico City Cathedral.

What's So Cool About It?

The Sun Stone is like a giant puzzle with lots of pictures carved into it. The most important picture in the middle looks like a face, and it's thought to be the face of the sun god! The stone also has carvings that show days, months, and even the Aztec's ideas about how the world was created. It's like a history book and a calendar all in one, but made of stone!

A Stone Treasure!

This stone is super important because it tells us so much about the Aztecs. It shows us what they believed about the sun, time, and the universe. It's like a message from the past! Even though it's a stone, it's considered a treasure because it helps us understand a whole civilization. It's a reminder of how smart and creative people were long ago.

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Based on content from Wikipedia · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0