SDSU Sculpture – San Diego CA

Description

This 5′ high black diorite sculpture “The Aztec” was carved by Donal Hord and his team in 1936, a project that took a year to complete.  The one-ton block of stone they sculpted was quarried locally from Escondido. Previously in front of Heppner Hall, it was moved from its original location to make way for the San Diego Trolley Project. It currently stands in the University’s Prospective Student Center.

From the San Diego Travel Tips website: “In 1936, San Diego sculptor Donal Hord was commissioned to carve a statue for the campus of San Diego State University. He completed the work, which he named Aztec, in 1937, and it soon became the inspiration for the school’s mascot. Nicknamed “Montezuma,” the statue makes its home in the university’s Prospective Student Center. The funding for the project was twofold — student groups raised $130 to purchase the one-ton chunk of black diorite for Hord to work with and the WPA Federal Arts Project supplied $6,000 to Hord and his assistants for their labor.”