Hand carved Aztec inspired Masonic setting maul

This hand carved Aztec inspired Masonic setting maul was made for Bro. Marco Sánchez, the 2021-2022 Worshipful Master of Round Rock Masonic Lodge #227 working under the jurisdiction of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas.

When Bro. Sánchez approached me with this project, I realized that what he was asking for was a ‘feeling.’ Something that would respectfully represent his culture and Aztec heritage. As with many of the projects I enter upon, I rarely have any idea of what the final resolution will be. Exactly what I love. After many days of research and coming to a better understanding of the complex nature of central American religion, traditions, history and cultures, I felt I was ready to capture some of the nuance and story telling so prevalent in the Aztec artwork and culture.

Finding appropriate materials, design, and creative style was very important to me in that I wished to keep close to the style of Aztec culture without overstepping. Story telling is why we write, carve and create. It was obvious this project would require and epic story blended with traditional Aztec symbolism.

The bell of the setting maul tells the story of the struggle between order and chaos. The rise to untempered power and the unstoppable entropy of life. Designed with this in mind, the principal symbol of the 47^th Problem of Euclid and two major deities in Aztec culture, Quetzalcóatl (Feathered Serpent) and Tēcuani (Jaguar) are hand carved and tell the story of this struggle.

Quetzalcoatl rules as the symbol of death and resurrection and is the personification of earth and mother, and the generative force of both sun and rain.

The Jaguar reigns supreme of the underworld and of several etymological origins of the word Jaguar, one is “He who kills with one blow” and is particularly material to Freemasonry and the search for the lost word.

The handle of the setting maul, made of Spanish Cedar wood, is appointed by a carved Jaguar head to remind the Master he is the representative of power, valor while in the East and the spirit and strength of the Jaguar are given to him as he delivers his decisive raps from the East.

At the top of the bell, carved from a solid block of Peltogyne Mexicana wood, the perfect spirit of Quetzalcoatl is present where we see two tessellated representations of the Sun. We see the rays of the sun spilling over to another symbol of the sun, a row of circumpunct. Below the sun carvings are clouds opening up to form a complete ring of rain showering down to the terrestrial plane below. Quetzalcoatl manifested.

Jaguar, existing in both the light and dark, above and below, attempts several times to devour the order and logic of man’s attempts to hold back the inevitable. Man’s great achievement of knowledge concerning the natural world, represented by the Pythagorean Theorem.

The never-ending tale of man’s will over nature and his hubris is represented by blood spilling from the mouth of Jaguar flowing through the carved geometric shapes, pooling near the base of the maul finally resting on an always present plane of nature’s perfect Euclidean resolution and order.

An inlay of Royal Aztec Lace Agate from Durango Mexico is inlaid and situated between order and chaos in an ordinal location and represents that, no matter the direction, there is value in the balance of life and we should all aspire to rise above the struggle of this material existence.

The realization that there need not be a struggle between the perfection and order of all creation and all that is man-made, is finally revealed. The harmony and journey between the above and below will always exist and ultimately all will be made perfect.

Within the hand carved icons and story told are hidden glyphs waiting to be discovered. Only the most patient and reflective observer will see into the third layer of encoded symbolism.