Description:

Pre-Columbian, Vera Cruz, Mexico, ca. 600-900 CE. Frogs and toad were associated with rain and the sustenance that water brings by the ancients of the Americas. The Mayans linked these amphibian creatures to the rain god Chac's musicians who sang merrily to announce the arrival of the powerful rainmaker. The Aztecs viewed Tlaltecuhti (Earth Lord) an enormous toadlike creature as a metaphor for the earth. This beastly toad was said to float on the primeval seas and voraciously swallow the sun at dusk and consume the sacrificial blood and hearts of victims offered to the earth. Given the gaping mouth boldly painted in red hues, the blood-covered hands, and most significantly the open "window" to the contents of this frog's belly which in this case features a limbed human or animal, we may indeed have an earlier reference to a precursor of Tlaltecuhti. 3-1/2"H x 5"W at widest x 3-1/4"D

Provenance: Ex-William C. Schneider New World Antiquities, Carlsbad, CA

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  • Condition: Repaired at appendages, as shown.

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October 24, 2014 8:00 AM MDT
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Artemis Fine Arts

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