Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Veracruz (Vera Cruz), ca. 5th to 7th century CE. An intriguing hacha of a bulbous form, hand-carved from speckled beige-hued stone with light and dark inclusions. The hacha depicts Tlaloc, the Veracruz god of rain, thunder, and lightning. The eyes are characteristically goggled above sagging cheeks, full lips, and a sizable nose, and the headdress is topped with protruding 'feathers' that form a vertical crest. Several grooved areas are accentuated with thick, vermilion-hued cinnabar that nicely complements the soft green hue of the stone. Size: 4" W x 6.2" H (10.2 cm x 15.7 cm)
Tlaloc is the Mesoamerican rain deity, who with his axe made of lightning, strikes the clouds and produces thunder and rain. In an iconographic sense, he is often shown with goggles around his eyes and large fangs. He is also frequently represented in artwork from Teotihuacan, the Aztecs, and seems to have been one of the most commonly depicted of the Mesoamerican gods. His impersonators wore his distinctive goggle mask and a headdress capped by heron feathers (which this piece presumably once had). During the religious festival known as Etzalcualiztli, the "Meal of Cooked Maize", Tlaloc symbolically died - and Tlaloc impersonators may have also died, as sacrifices.
Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection owned since prior to 2005
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#149948
Condition
Minor nicks and abrasions to face, peripheries, and verso, with softening to some finer details, and fading to several areas of red cinnabar, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice earthen deposits and traces of original red cinnabar throughout.