Gold pendant

Mixtec-Zapotec pendant, gold with silver and copper, height 8.5 cm., British Museum.

Cast using the ‘lost-wax’ technique, this piece was found at Tehuantepec. The standing figure, wearing a feathered headdress and necklace, holds a shield with spears in his left hand and a spear-thrower (atlatl) in his right. The fine attention to detail is remarkable. What’s more, the head is adorned with unique dangling ear ornaments and a lip-plug shaped like a head with three bells. The moveable parts would create a pleasant tinkling effect as the wearer walked along...

Main info from ‘Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler’, British Museum Catalogue, 2009, p.93.

Photo by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore