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Unknown Miniature Terracotta Head

Description
This small head of a ceramic figure with a bird headdress is probably Pre-Columbian. It seems to originate from the territory of present-day Mexico. Further research should reveal whether the fragment was made on Jaina Island. Can we situate it in the Late Classic Period, c. 600 – 850 AD? If the fragment indeed came from Jaina Island, it is most probably the head of a figurine that served as a burial gift. The clay figures, made by the artisans of Jaina, represented a broad spectrum of male and female professions, going from weavers, attendants, warriors, hunters, ballplayers, scribes, prisoners, dancers to musicians. Bird motifs were common in Mayan culture. They were often associated with the act of weaving, as they use twigs to build or weave their nests. They also could refer to hunting.