Antonio de León y Gama.
Descripción histórica y cronológica de las dos piedras en la plaza principal de México.
Mexico: F. de Zúñiga y Ontiveros, 1792
Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (42)
Finding the Past
In 1790, workers digging in a central plaza in Mexico City unearthed several huge carved stones. Among these was the Sun Stone, which was displayed with another find, a standing image of Coatlicue, the mother of the gods. Antonio León y Gamas’s publication provided the first study of the Sun Stone and the Coatlicue statue, both of which became symbols of growing Mexican nationalism.