Description
Near Teotihuacán's largest palace is a small temple gorgeously ornamented with green-feathered serpents, symbols of the earth's fertility. Beneath the temple lie at least 120 human sacrifices, most men, many warriors, and some wearing greenstone ornaments like these, perhaps a set. The sacrifices, apparently laid out to mark the cardinal directions, may have consecrated the temple or a ruler's tomb, or both.
Provenance
Valetta Swan, 1965, to James C. and Florence C. Gruener (?-1965); James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1965-1990); The Cleveland Museum of Art (1990)
Accession Number
1990.264
Medium
jadeite-albitite(?)
Dimensions
Diameter: 5.6 cm (2 3/16 in.); Overall: 2.4 cm (15/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener