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Pre-Columbian Americas Maya culture, Jaina (?), Mexico Plaque Late Classic period, ca. A.D. 700–800 Shell H. 4 11/16 in. (11.9 cm) Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection Indiana University Art Museum, 81.32.1 This plaque shows the Maya Jaguar God of the Underworld flanked by two other deities. His pose suggests that he is about to be sacrificed, an important religious practice that the Maya and other Mesoamerican people believed was necessary for the continuation of humankind. The plaque may have been worn as a pendant; held or displayed as a ritual object, or tucked into a headdress, belt, or other costume element |
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