Ear Ornament, 150-200. Central Mexico, Teotihuacán style, Classic Period. Jadeite-albitite(?); diameter: cm (2 1/4 in.); overall: cm (1 in.). 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.

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Photo credit: © CMA/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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