Ceremonial atlatl

Ceremonial atlatl or dart/spear-thrower, Mexica (Aztec), c. 1350-1521 CE, wooden, length 30 cms. British Museum.

This fine example still preserves traces of paper-thin hammered gold foil that was applied over both the front and back, and the beautifully worked supine body of a warrior carved along its length. It was probably intended for display and may have been part of a suite of ceremonial regalia proclaiming the role and status of the ‘warrior king’. The warrior thrusts a spear with a pointed tip in front of him; just above the spear head, the head and two-forked tongue of a rattlesnake can be seen. The snake imagery refers to the ability of the owner to strike at a distance and was likened to the deadly lunge of the rattlesnake. From Ancient American Art in Detail by Colin McEwan (British Museum Press, 2009, p.59.

Photos © The Trustees of the British Museum