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Object Label

Huastec artisans depicted images of death on exquisitely carved shell ornaments. In this example, four human skulls are shown in profile with incised circular eyes, grimacing mouths with radiating speech scrolls, and hair standing up on end along the sagittal suture. The arrow entering through the eye and exiting through the nose may allude to Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, the Lord of Dawn, who is depicted with skeletal attributes in Mesoamerican codices, or pictorial manuscripts, because he was killed by the Sun God with a dart to the head (see nearby illustration).


Artesanos Huastecas representaban imágenes de muerte en ornamentos de concha exquisitamente tallados. En este ejemplo, cuatro calaveras humanas aparecen de perfil, con ojos circulares incisos, bocas en rictus con volutas de palabra, y cabellos erizados a lo largo de la sutura sagital. La flecha que penetra el ojo y sale por la nariz puede aludir a Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, el Dios del Amanecer, el cual se representa con atributos esqueléticos en los códices Mesoamericanos o manuscritos pictóricos ya que fue asesinado por el Dios Solar con un dardo en la cabeza (ver ilustración).

Caption

Huastec. Pectoral, ca.1250–1521. Shell, 3 9/16 x 13/16 x 3 9/16 in. (9 x 2.1 x 9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, By exchange, 48.149. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 48.149_acetate_bw.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Culture

Huastec

Title

Pectoral

Date

ca.1250–1521

Period

Pre-Spanish

Geography

Place found: Veracruz, Mexico

Medium

Shell

Classification

Ornament

Dimensions

3 9/16 x 13/16 x 3 9/16 in. (9 x 2.1 x 9 cm)

Credit Line

By exchange

Accession Number

48.149

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

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