Body decoration in Mesoamerica created rich and varied materials and representations. High officials used accessories such as labrets, rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, diadems, and many other objects to indicate their status in society. In archaeological finds, we see that these types of objects are found intact in burials in which people were interred in luxury, often in imitation of a god. At the same time, fragments of these pieces are also found in garbage dumps and landfills, and occasionally found isolated from any other related object.
This object is a pendant that probably hung from a string or necklace made from other material that has been lost with time. The variety of forms that a pendant could take is enormous, from abstract representations that are difficult to interpret (like piece 1589 in the Amparo Collection), to pieces suggesting people and animals.
This pendant takes the form of a bird, possibly a duck, and was made with clay. One end is slightly curved upwards, and becomes thicker towards the middle, taking on a circular shape in profile. At the opposite end, it grows thinner again, until forming a small triangle that could suggest the representation of feathers. In the widest part, a circular incision was made on each side, and underneath this, a perforation crossing through the piece was made so that the pendant could be hung.
It is clear at a glance that the way this piece was made is an attempt to emulate other beads similar in shape and finish that were made from obsidian. This object, which today we would call falsified, was made to be ed off as original or authentic, showing that this phenomenon is not modern, but has a long history.
Despite the fact that the literature does not mention this subject, there are a few indirect references to it. Above all, we know that those who imitated or wore a sign or object that was above their rank could be punished, even with death. This prohibition points to both the strict system of Pre-Columbian justice, and the existence of a wide practice of the imitation of objects and insignias of prestige, such that it was strictly regulated and controlled.
This piece allows us to glimpse a remarkable setting in which, on one hand, we have a noble with his carved and polished obsidian offerings, and on the other hand, a person of lower hierarchy using almost identical, black objects. To to the trained eye, however, they did not have the same luster, the form was slightly rougher and the piece didn't have the necessary translucence, indicating a ceramic piece.
Lastly, the representations of birds are worth mentioning, particularly ducks, as this piece appears to be. Birds were associated with Ehecatl Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind, because of the relationship between the migratory cycles of aquatic birds and the arrival of the rains.
Body decoration in Mesoamerica created rich and varied materials and representations. High officials used accessories such as labrets, rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, diadems, and many other objects to indicate their status in society. In archaeological finds, we see that these types of objects are found intact in burials in which people were interred in luxury, often in imitation of a god. At the same time, fragments of these pieces are also found in garbage dumps and landfills, and occasionally found isolated from any other related object.
