The snail shell was very important in Mesoamerican iconography and was represented countless times. Among the earliest examples we have snails sculpted in the s of the Quetzalcoatl pyramid in Teotihuacan in the first century of our era. There, the snail complements a primordial water representation, above which the great reptile that gave life to the world rested. In the majority of cases these relate to the great sea snail shell technically known as strombus.

In addition to being associated to water in general, the great snail was used in Mesoamerica as a horn. It was used in different festivities. It was played at night as a part of the rites that marked the hours, and it was an instrument to convene or direct the people. The snail horn was fundamental in combat; it was used to give signals to the army. But the snail does not only appear in painting and sculpting. Many snails forming part of offerings have also been found. These snail shells are frequently well carved, as in the example at hand.

The work of the snail is among the most frequent artistic manifestations of Mesoamerica. It was especially frequent among the peoples of the coast, but due to the intense commerce that characterized the cultural area, shell carving was practiced in all regions. This horn has a series of figures that serve to represent a recurring theme of Mesoamerican art: war and sacrifice.

It is not easy to identify the entirety of the figures represented due to the mottling of a composition that follows the natural curves and creases of the shell, but the presence of up to five human figures can be noted. The most visible is that of a warrior that attacks another with a spear. We see the arm raised behind the head, and the point of the spear that arises between the beard and face of another warrior, apparently subdued. This is an attack convention that was used in codices and in other images, particularly from the Post-Classic Period.

Normally, the attacking or victorious warrior threatens his victim with his spear  while he holds the horse with the other hand. The holding is not very clear in this image, but the threat with the spear is, as well as the lower or subdued position of the other character. Above the warrior with the spear appears the body of another character, perhaps beheaded, with his limbs a little uncontrolled and loose. This probable sacrifice has another warrior that holds a neck, apparently without a head, in front of it. The subdued warrior from the first scene has one or two arrows in his hand, but he is not in an attack position. Before him there is a high ranking character that witnesses the capture without getting directly involved.

The composition and style of the figures correspond to the stylistic conventions of the so-called Mixtec-Puebla tradition, pertaining to the Post-Classic Period. The geographic extension of such tradition impedes us from pinpointing the exact production site of the piece; it could be Oaxacan, but it could likewise be derived from the central plateau. The combination of scenes of combat and sacrificial acts is very ancient in Mesoamerica. We see it for example in the great wall of the battle of Cacaxtla, and the representation therefore gives form to an allegory of war and sacrifice, more than a reference to a specific battle.