Stone owl

Sculpture of an owl, stone, central Mexico, Aztec/Mexica, c.1350-1521 CE, Museum der Kulturen, Basel.

The owl as a nocturnal creature is a frequently recurring subject in Pre-Columbian art. It is frequently perceived as an intermediary between this world and the afterlife.

From Aztecs, eds. Doris Kurella, Martin Berger and Inés de Castro, with INAH, Mexico - catalogue for the exhibition Azteken, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Hirmer Publishers, Germany, 2019, p. 289.

Photo by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore.