Turtle with human face

Turtle with human face, length 54 cms., height 38 cms., stone, c.1350-1521 CE, Mexica (Aztec), Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City

To the Aztecs, (ayutl), was respected for its role in the cosmos. The jagged surface of the earth was thought to be the back of a turtle or crocodilian animal, rendered as an earth monster. Perhaps for this reason, the turtle shell was a popular motif for jewellery.

From Ancient Mexican Art at Dumbarton Oaks by Susan Toby Evans, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, p. 97.

Photo by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore.