CIT Legends: Aztec Empire
CIT has been issuing its Legends series since 2021. It illustrates the profound impact smartminting® has had on the minting industry: frontal portraits, once considered an almost impossible numismatic challenge, are now commonplace.
Content
The fourth release of the Legends series is dedicated to the Aztecs.
The fourth release of the Legends series is dedicated to the Aztecs, the legendary people who offered blood sacrifices to assure the rising of the sun each day. One side of the coin, incorporating elements of the Aztec solar calendar around the edge, recalls this tradition. This iconic object is sometimes interpreted as the altar on which human sacrifices were made. The were minted with the special technology: smartminting® (Ultra High Relief) by B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt in Munich.
Cook Islands / 5 Dollars / Silver .9999 / 1 oz / 38.61 mm / Mintage: 999.
Cook Islands / 20 Dollars / Silver .9999 / 3 oz / 45 mm / Mintage: 500.
Description of the Coin
One side depicts Cuauhtémoc, the last ruler of the Aztecs, in full regalia from the front with feather crown and pectoral jewelry. To his left a jaguar warrior, to his right an eagle warrior, both from the front; the background is filled with the ornamental inscription AZTEC / EMPIRE.
The other side shows the temple district of the capital of Tenochtitlan with the Templo Mayor as a detailed topographic representation; elements of the Aztec solar calendar at the edge; in the field below a circular medallion with the portrait of Charles III to the left, below DT (= Dan Thorne); around it the circumscription 5 or 20 DOLLARS CHARLES III 2025 / COOK ISLANDS.
Cook Islands / 5 Dollars / Gold .9999 / 0.5 g / 11 mm / Mintage: 5000.
Description of the Small Gold Coin
One side depicts Cuauhtémoc, the last ruler of the Aztecs, in full regalia from the front with feather crown and pectoral jewelry, to his right the depiction of Templo Mayor from the side; above CUAUHTÉMOC.
The other side shows the portrait of Charles III to the left; around it the circumscription 5 DOLLARS CHARLES III 2025 / COOK ISLANDS.
El suplicio de Cuauhtémoc (The torture of Cuauhtémoc), gemalt von Leandro Izaguirre, 1892.
Background
The obverse shows the last ruler of the Aztecs: Cuauhtémoc wears an opulent feather crown and pectoral jewelry, both made largely of pure gold – the very gold that would prove to be the Aztecs’ undoing. Today, young Cuauhtémoc is regarded as a tragic hero who defended his people against the Spaniards to the end. After his capture, he suffered more than three years of humiliation and torture before Cortés had him hanged on a pretext.
To the left and right of Cuauhtémoc are representatives of the Aztec army. The armaments of the jaguar and eagle warriors were reminiscent of the animals they were named after. The Aztecs expected the members of these elite troops to perform death-defying heroic deeds. It was their fate to be victorious in the so-called ‘flower wars’ or to be captured and sacrificed to the sun.
This sacrifice took place in the temple district of Tenochtitlan, which appears on the other side of the coin as a true-to-scale topographical representation. The central structure was a giant pyramid, on top of which stood a house each for the solar deity Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tlaloc.
CIT’s Legends series is a feast for the eyes for all those who love to immerse themselves in a coin design. The incredible richness of detail is made possible by smartminting®. Thanks to this innovative technology, designers can create an ultra-high relief anywhere on the coin without having to take into account the natural flow properties of the metal. The Legends series pushes the boundaries of what is possible.
And by the way: as the Aztec Empire issue shows, B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt is capable of producing ultra-high relief coins in proof quality. This is a feat of craftsmanship that can only be achieved by very few mints.
If you want to experience all three dimensions of these coins, you have to watch the corresponding film:
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