Describe the double-headed serpent.2. how did the social or political environment influence the creation of this artwork? 3. what may the snake have symbolized to the aztecs?

1.- An icon of Mexica (Aztec) art, this awesome object was probably worn on ceremonial occasions as a pectoral ( an ornament worn on the chest). It is carved in cedar wood and covered with turquoise mosaic. The lumber is hollowed at the back.

2.The fact that predictions were made that gods were coming to take the control of this civilization make us think that this art work probably meant that changes were about to occur and artisans were pretty much influenced for this because  Aztecs believed in change since serpents which were important in their culture shed their skin and this simbolized that Aztecs believed in renovations.  

3.-The serpent or snake played an important role in religious, political and social life in Aztec culture. The word serpent in Nauatl is coatl which is associated to many gods: Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent), Xiuhcoatl (fire serpent), Mixcoatl (cloud serpent) or Coatlicue ( She of the serpent skirt). The fact that snakes shed skin makes us think that Aztecs believed in transformation and renovation. The fact that serpents can stay underground, swim well and some of they are found on trees made Aztecs believe that the could communicate between the layers of the cosmos ( underworld, earth and sky).  

Europeans began building their empires in the western hemisphere in the early 1500s, but by the 1800s, Spain and Portugal were no longer powerful countries, and the largest British colony had become the United States. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the Netherlands continued to colonize during this era, but they also devised other ways to spread their empires. In the late 19th century Japan and the United States joined the European nations as an imperialist power.