Since the Middle Preclassic period rods, scepters and staffs appeared in Mesoamerican iconography associated with exercising authority. These artifacts are particularly common in Olmec and Mayan monuments, although they can also be found in the Gulf Coast and other sites. High-ranking individuals also appear to grasp fans and certain weapons as symbols of power.
We do not have enough information to give a definitive answer regarding who used scepters like this one, but they must have been carried by very high-ranking figures, perhaps priests or rulers.
This piece, along with piece number 986, belongs to the Mezcala tradition and formed part of grave goods made up of several types of objects. It seems that the majority of tombs of this tradition would only have held anthropomorphic figures, which probably represented the deceased or their ancestors. However, the tombs of the higher ranking individuals also had zoomorphic figures, figures of sitting men, temples and masks, some of which even had scepters like these.
A head placed at the end of a staff or scepter also seems to be connected to the ancestor cult, which was the core concept of Mesoamerican burial rituals in general. These artifacts have a certain similarity to what is known as the “manikin scepter” from the Maya region. It is probable that they were used by the heads of each community during their lives, and in death they were buried with them. In this case the scepters, like the necklaces and bracelets, were objects that belonged to the deceased.
The appearance of the faces carved onto the scepters is very similar to Mezcala anthropomorphic figures and masks.
Calcite was the material used to create this piece . It is worth ing that stone engraving from the Middle Balsas River basin used a wide range of minerals of different textures and colors. Nevertheless, jade figures have not been found in Mezcala. It is likely that the modest power of these lordships did not extend beyond the Mezcala and Balsas region, therefore they did not have access to a supply of jade, which was a very valuable good controlled by the elites from more powerful kingdoms.
Since the Middle Preclassic period rods, scepters and staffs appeared in Mesoamerican iconography associated with exercising authority. These artifacts are particularly common in Olmec and Mayan monuments, although they can also be found in the Gulf Coast and other sites. High-ranking individuals also appear to grasp fans and certain weapons as symbols of power.
