Through grooves and subtle embossing that form triangular and oval sections, a schematic human face was captured; the top emphasis and rear flattening refer to cranial modification of the tabular type, a common practice among Mesoamericans. On the back there are two conical holes that connect and allow a thread to through; therefore, it is inferred that the piece had an ornamental use as a pendant, perhaps on a necklace. The implications of this open up various possibilities. Did a living or a dead individual wear it? Woman or man? Adult or child? Person or deity? Did it have a routine or a ritual use?
Its character as a "precious" object, in accordance with Mesoamerican concepts of materials, as well as the high level of specialization required to manufacture it, surely contributed to the value given to this jewel and, accordingly, it can be itted that it constituted a sign of a high position in the hierarchy. In broad , other symbolic functions attributed to jewelry are associated with the identity of the wearer in of their trade, merits, marital status, and belonging to a certain group. In the historical setting that we are dealing with, the power that artistic expressions actively held in Mesoamerica must be added; so it is likely that this green stone piece, which would have been associated with sacred liquids, life, and plant fertility, served as an amulet and had magical properties.
The piece is typical of the ancient Mezcala cultural tradition, whose territory is located in the central, northern and Tierra Caliente (Hot Lands) areas of Guerrero, and bordering Morelos, the State of Mexico, and Michoacan. Among its characteristic elements are sites with outstanding architecture, Blanco Granular and Yestla-Naranjo type ceramics, and lapidary production.
The last art form is distinguished by a style in which representational images were captured with a remarkable abstraction of forms. Certainly other objects were made without representational appearance, but it is more difficult to point out their cultural attribution. The recognized repertoire includes full-bodied human and animal figures (although synthesized according to the canons of tradition), human heads and masks, and architectural representations. The material chosen by the artists determines their small format, with heights that are usually less than 20 cm. They are, therefore, easily portable objects.
Portability is an important feature, because, through pieces like these in Mesoamerica, artistic codes and ideological systems were configured and transmitted between the various societies that over the course of four thousand years inhabited this cultural macro-area. Even though archaeological inquiries about the Mezcala culture are scarce, there are records of the distribution of its compact stone sculptures at Teotihuacan, Xochicalco, and the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan. Due to the later time period of Mexica development, Carlos Javier Gonzalez and Bertina Olmedo have highlighted their value as a relic of Mezcala materials.
It should be noted that they frequently have perforations, as in the case of this object, which indicates that they were designed to bejewel outfits, so they were worn on the person's body. Thus, with the exception of representations of buildings, the rest of the aforementioned forms could have strings inserted in them. There are even masks that have a single opening at the top, suitable for hanging, rather than being worn on the face. It can be assumed that these jewels were displayed both in the realm of the living and in the burial, and, likewise, it is known that they were offered apart from the association with human remains, in the manner of ritual deposits.
