Aztec designGreen, white, redLong knitOne size
The essentials: long beanie printed with the Aztec Sun Stone in white line work on a black ground, with green and red panels in the colours of Mexico. The design covers the whole surface and carries on round the back. One size. €29, free delivery.
24 tonnes of basalt, rediscovered by accident
The carved disc printed on the beanie is the Sun Stone, also called the Aztec calendar. It is a basalt monolith 3.60 m / 11 ft 10 in across, 1.22 m / 4 ft thick, weighing close to 24.6 tonnes / 27 US tons.
Buried after the Spanish conquest, it was rediscovered in 1790 during paving work on the main square of Mexico City. It is now displayed at the National Museum of Anthropology. At its centre is a face ringed by the solar disc, surrounded by a band of twenty glyphs, one for each day of the Aztec month.
The link with boxing is not decorative. Mexico is one of the countries that produces the most world champions, and pre-Hispanic imagery has run through its fighters' ring-walk kit for decades. Wearing this design is declaring that school.
What is on the beanie
The carved disc is reproduced in thick white line work on a black ground, cropped in close: the central face takes the crown of the beanie, the rings of glyphs run down the sides. Two colour panels cross the design on the diagonal, one green and one red, which together with the ground make up the three colours of the Mexican flag.
Technical specifications
The tip: the design being cropped in close, folding a cuff cuts the lower band of glyphs. Worn loose, the disc stays whole on the side and the central face reads from the crown.
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Going further
Frequently asked questions
What does the design on this beanie show?
The Sun Stone, a basalt monolith 3.60 m / 11 ft 10 in across weighing close to 24.6 tonnes / 27 US tons, often called the Aztec calendar. It is held at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
Why green and red?
Together with the ground they make up the three colours of the Mexican flag. The two panels cross the design on the diagonal and frame the carved disc.
Is the Sun Stone really a calendar?
It carries calendrical elements - a band of twenty glyphs matching the days of the Aztec month - but specialists describe it first as a carved solar disc rather than an instrument for measuring time.
What size is a long beanie?
One size: the knit stretches both ways and absorbs the difference in head size. The guide is visual - the beanie should cover the top of the ears without squeezing the temples. Flat it measures 28 cm / 11 in tall by 26.8 cm / 10.6 in wide.
What is the difference between a long beanie and a turn-up beanie?
The long beanie, or slouchy, falls on the nape with no cuff and is worn loose: that is the cut of this model. The turn-up knit folds over and lays a double thickness of knit on the ears, for a height of 21.5 cm / 8.5 in once folded.
How do you wash a beanie without stretching it?
Hand wash cold, no spin, then dry flat. A beanie hung up or put through a tumble dryer stretches out and loses the hold that keeps it over the ears. Do not iron the print.
