¨Representations of serpents are ubiquitous in the iconography of pre-Hispanic and early colonial Mesoamerica. Snakes, and reptilian features combined with other symbols, are found in visual and verbal expressions of the experience of a sentient cosmos, including the surface of the Earth, the heavens, and the underworld. Reptilian attributes were worn by rulers and priests as manifestations of their sacred status, legitimizing their social and political power. In this paper serpent symbolism is framed in embodiment theory and evolutionary aesthetics, drawing on concepts developed by scholars from a wide range of disciplines¨.-David Wright