43 - Mixtec Culture, Mexico

Mixtec Culture, Mexico Head of Tlaloc Carved and polished speckled green stone, depicting a face with stylized features. H. 10 cm. Provenance: > Collection of Pierre (1900–1993) and Claude (1929–2018) Vérité, Paris Bibliography: Ancient Mexican Sculpture from the Lukas Vischer Collection, p. 75, p. 77, comparable model Condition report: Mounted on a base Tláloc is one of the major deities of Mesoamerica; he is associated with rain, terrestrial waters, mountains, caves, storms, and the fertility of the fields. Objects bearing the image of Tláloc could be used in contexts of offerings, ritual deposits, domestic shrines, or symbolic adornments, depending on their size and medium. Effigy vases, pendants, masks, and reliefs embodied a connection to rain and the powers of the mountains. In certain offerings, green stones, shells, and aquatic materials reinforced this association with water, the wet world, and plant growth.