158. Ruler’s feather headdress (probably of Motecuhzoma II). Mexica (Aztec) 1428- 1520 CE Feathers (quetzal and continga)and gold.

• Form
  • Made from 400 long green feathers, the tails of the sacred quetzal birds; male birds produce only two such feathers each
  • The number 400 symbolizes eternity
• Function
  • Ceremonial headdress of a ruler
  • Part of an elaborate costume
• Context
  • Only known Aztec feather headdress in the world
  • Feathers indicate trading across the Aztec Empire
  • Headdress possibly part of a collection of artifacts given by Motexhuzoma to Cortez for Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire
  • The current dispute over ownership of the headdress; today it is housed in the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna, Austria