The central motif of this bracelet is the calendrical symbol Nahui Ollin (Four Movement/Earthquake)—the sign for the fifth and current era of creation. In Aztec mythology the earth had been created five times, but natural forces—wind, rain, fire, and floods—had destroyed previous eras. The symbol, which was carved on stone reliefe and illustrated in indigenous codices, was redeployed by Spratling in what became one of his trademark early designs.
