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According to pre-Hispanic belief, Mictlantecuhtli is the guardian of the gates of Mictlan - the last of nine circles of the underworld. He's the point of connection between the living and the dead, so his body is often depicted in a state of partial decay. Burial sites are filled with food and drink, pieces of jade and ceramics, bits of cloth and rope to help the dead on their journey to see him. This statue is in a small museum in El Zapotal, not far from Tlacotalpan. It dates back to about 500 AD and is part of the Remojadas culture. It would have been carted off to the larger anthropological museum in Xalapa but it was just too large and fragile to move. |
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