The same oval-silhouetted fish was carved into all three pieces; they are flat figures of hard pale chestnut-colored stone that offer the same view on both sides; a bony fish is visible, a few precise cuts mark the main parts of its anatomy, including the dorsal, pelvic and caudal bifurcated fins, so we can consider them realistic artistic images. The use that they might have had is enigmatic, since they lack holes to hang them like pendants. One possibility is that they were used as an offering, whose dedication could be extremely varied: to a deity, a building, an object, a character, a deceased person or a sacred natural space, among others.
We explore this possibility taking into the symbolism of fish in the Mesoamerican worldview. The relationships between humans and wildlife are very complex; among the ancient Mexicans animals served as a food, company or raw material to make ritual instruments, tools, ornaments or religious symbols. In each case, the use of specific species that reveals a deep understanding of nature stands out; in the case of fish, among their features is found their origin, marine or freshwater habitats, their local or exotic character and their provenance, near or far. As examples of their rituals symbolic uses, in the basin of Lake Patzcuaro, fish have been found as burial food offerings in human burials dating from the Late Classic and in the same state of Michoacan, during the Late Post-Classic, it is known that among the Tarascan it was common to give fish as presents to visitors and when the irecha or king died, whitefish bones were placed around his neck.
Contemporary to this last culture, several offerings have been found in the sacred Mexica precinct of Tenochtitlan containing animal remains which it is assumed recreate the structure of the universe; aquatic fauna and their representations symbolized the level of the underworld, which was conceived as a great primordial ocean located below the surface of the earth and connected to the terrestrial water bodies like lakes and rivers. This layer in turn had several levels in a vertical scheme, so that surface and deep water species would in turn evoke the depth of this primordial sea.
The same oval-silhouetted fish was carved into all three pieces; they are flat figures of hard pale chestnut-colored stone that offer the same view on both sides; a bony fish is visible, a few precise cuts mark the main parts of its anatomy, including the dorsal, pelvic and caudal bifurcated fins, so we can consider them realistic artistic images. The use that they might have had is enigmatic, since they lack holes to hang them like pendants. One possibility is that they were used as an offering, whose dedication could be extremely varied: to a deity, a building, an object, a character, a deceased person or a sacred natural space, among others.
