TRIPOD VESSEL (100-300 CE)

Shell, Possibly an Arm Band, Incised with Profile Head Framed by Geometric Motifs (1200 CE)

Miniature Mask; Wood, gold foil, and shell with pigment and resin (1300-1400 CE)

Mosaic Disk with a Mythological and Historical Scenes (Turquoise, earthenware, stucco, spondylus shell, mother of pearl, and iron pyrite, with pigment) 1400-1500 CE

On this disk, the sign for “year” and the date “3 Flint- Knife” (A.D. 1456) are associated with the image of the sun on the left; the date “4 House” (A.D. 1457) is linked by footsteps to the sun on the right. These dates mark the end of one 52-year cycle and the beginning of a new one. In the center, crossed darts symbolize a military alliance. Alliance members are represented by the skeletal figure at the left and the animal figure at the right. Below, a prone human form (damaged) signifies a sacrifice to confirm the association. The imagery of the disk stems from a long-established Mixtec tradition of pictorial manuscripts.