The round gold ornament behind the birds' heads has been interpreted as a depiction of the sun (see cat. no. 180). This would not settle the debate as to whether eagle heads with attachments are depicted here as decorative elements or coxcoxtlis (see above), as both the eagle and the god Xochipilli associated with the cocoxtli are connected with the sun (see cat. nos. 178, 180, 187). Carl Uhde, a merchant from Berlin, started his collection during his stay in Mexico in the 1930s. At that time it was becoming fashionable to collect Mexican antiquities. Uhde was not only one of the first, but also one of the most fanatical collectors. He spent a fortune to acquire rare, precious pieces. To this end, he sent a whole staff of young employees, the so-called "idol riders", through the country, who tracked down, purchased and excavated on his behalf (see Pferdekamp, Wilhelm, Auf Humboldts Spuren - Deutsche im Jungen Mexiko, Munich 1958: 201). (V. König, 2003)