The quincunx, also known as a sign with five points, is a greatly relevant symbolic motif in Mesoamerican cosmology. Its presence is associated with the geometry of the cosmos, and is manifested in several cultural expressions, such as architecture, ceramics, codices, textiles and in offerings and altars dedicated to sacred entities.
The quincunx represents the universe’s special and ontological conception, based on the interrelationship between the four cardinal diamonds and one central point which acts as the axis or axis mundi, the union and separation of the celestial and the terrestrial planes and the underworld. Each direction in the cosmos has particular characteristics and is identified through a color, certain vegetal and animal elements and specific deities, which is an affirmation of the value of the quincunx as a cosmogonic, political and religious symbol. This order is considered to be sacred and it coordinates humanity, nature and divinity. To this day, Indigenous cultures reproduce this sacred figure in different contexts, replicating the cosmos on a human scale: it may be in the fields, in attire or during rituals, where the rectangular shape appears, alluding to the horizontal or terrestrial plane.
The quincunx acts as a special and temporal framework, measured through the alternance of the agricultural-meteorological cycles and the concurrent religious ceremonies. Among the ancient Nahuas, it was common to conceive of each temporal unit as corresponding to a diamond, in levorotatory movement. The temporal dimension of the quincunx is reflected in the names given to each diamond, associated with the carriers of the years: ácatl (cane) for the east; técpatl (flint) for the north; calli (house) for the west; and tochtli (rabbit) for the south.