Item Size:  11" x 19"     Type:  Wall Plaque

Material:  Casting Stone, with Antique Stone Finish

Original:  15th century

Current Location of Original:  British Museum, London

Splendid relic of the Aztecs, who rose from squalid origins to power and riches in just 200 years, this double-headed rattlesnake serpent was used as a ceremonial chest ornament that may have been worn by a priest. It was encrusted with scales of turquoise, a stone the Aztecs imported from the outposts of their empire to adorn some of their most beautiful possessions. It was the work of a Mixtec jeweller. Mixtec craftsmanship was highly prized; an entire enclave of artisans from this culture lived in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán. In mesoamerican culture, serpents were very important religious symbols; the shedding of their skin made them a symbol of rebirth and renewal. One of the main mesoamerican deities, Quetzalcoatl, was represented as a feathered serpent.