Insignia or fan

For the Aztecs, feathers were more precious than gold, and feather craftsmanship was highly regarded. In this unique object, some of the feathers were dyed. That is one reason why it is thought to date from the colonial era. A further reason is the style of the butterfly in the centre, which looks very European. It is unclear what this feather work was used for. In Mesoamerican illustrated manuscripts, similar objects are shown as banners of the gods, messengers or travellers. There is a butterfly on one side and a flower on the other, so the illustrations might refer to a “flower war” – a ritual war arranged with an opponent group. The two sides would meet at a fixed time and place with a precisely agreed number of warriors. These flower wars served as training but also to obtain prisoners for human sacrifices. The sacrificed warriors joined the sun in the sky and were portrayed as butterflies. This combination of flower and butterfly could refer to the flower wars. But it’s just a theory!