The round gold ornament behind behind the birds' heads has been interpreted as a depiction of the sun (see Cat. no. 180). The discussion as to whether eagle heads with attachments are depicted here as decorative elements or coxcoxtlis (see above) would not be not decided by this, since both the eagle and the god associated with the the god Xochipilli associated with the cocoxtli are connected with the sun (see cat. nos. 178, 180, 187). The Berlin-born merchant Carl Uhde, a merchant from Berlin, put together his collection during his stay in Mexico in the 30s of the 19th century. At that time it was beginning to become 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 young employees, the so-called "idol riders", who travelled the country who tracked down, purchased and excavated artefacts on his behalf (see Pferdekamp, Wilhelm, In Humboldt's Footsteps - Germans in Young Mexico, Munich 1958: 201). (V. König 2003)