This snake probably corresponds to the Mexican deaf snake, also called cincuata, cencuata or cencoatl, names derived from Nahuatl and translated as “corn field snake", because they can be found near the cornfields attracted by the large number of rodents live there; its scientific name is Pituophis deppei. The possibility is raised because it lacks fangs: the sculptor clearly showed that trait in the large open mouth without a tongue, with even and individually marked teeth; also because it is present in the religious thought of the Wixaritarior Huichols, who are heirs to the ancient culture of the shaft tombs.
According to the ethnologist Carl Lumholtz, this indigenous group of Western Mexico is called “Tate Ipou” or “Haiku” and identifies them with the great serpent that is the ocean that surrounds the earth; usually it is depicted as a two-headed figure, although it was also represented with one head. Compared with the real cincuata, the straight bands that separate the concentric diamonds in the sculpture are "anomalous "; the motifs on the skin could refer to some boa constrictors that are equally snakes devoid of fangs. Moreover, the careful and successful crafting of the incised designs is remarkable, as they adapt to the curve traced by the body.
Apart from the identification of the species, it is feasible to describe it in symbolic as a water snake, while in the Mesoamerican world this reptile is strongly associated with the circulation of this vital liquid whose origin is in the underworld. The snake can evoke moving bodies of water, such as oceans, rivers, currents and springs. The example we see traces with its coiled body in an upward spiral helical path and it is likely that from its open mouth water would flow because the sculpture is hollow; the only opening it has is this one. If it is considered that it was placed as an offering to a deceased person in a tomb, it is appropriate to assume that the objective was to facilitate the transit of the water from the lower layer of the cosmos to the higher, first in the form of vapor that emanates from the artificial cave of the shaft and chamber tomb, which would form clouds that would ascend to heaven and finally fall as rain.
This snake probably corresponds to the Mexican deaf snake, also called cincuata, cencuata or cencoatl, names derived from Nahuatl and translated as “corn field snake", because they can be found near the cornfields attracted by the large number of rodents live there; its scientific name is Pituophis deppei. The possibility is raised because it lacks fangs: the sculptor clearly showed that trait in the large open mouth without a tongue, with even and individually marked teeth; also because it is present in the religious thought of the Wixaritarior Huichols, who are heirs to the ancient culture of the shaft tombs.
