Instrument-effigy whose traits correspond to the Nahua style observed in other shaken idiophones from the Central highlands. The effigy representa a seated woman, apparently naked and with her hands placed at the height of her abdomen; only fragments of her hairdo remain, but it is highly likely that it was originally of the same type as the on in the maraca from 1497. She is wearing a necklace of elongated pendants that possibly represent fangs.
These types of instruments were made using molds, while the strikers were modeled and ed to the instrument prior to assembling the figure. In the Post-Classic period, it was common to find maracas made of feminine effigies with naked torsos, firm breasts and, occasionally, holding a child. These traits correspond to a prototype that was highly generalized among the Nahua groups of the Central highlands. The feminine representation is related with ideas concerning youth, fertility and reproduction.
Recent investigations suggest that these instruments were used in domestic rituals to bring about good health, protect children and maternal health; in other words, they were apotropaic objects.
Instrument-effigy whose traits correspond to the Nahua style observed in other shaken idiophones from the Central highlands. The effigy representa a seated woman, apparently naked and with her hands placed at the height of her abdomen; only fragments of her hairdo remain, but it is highly likely that it was originally of the same type as the on in the maraca from 1497. She is wearing a necklace of elongated pendants that possibly represent fangs.
