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Skin of the Sacrificial Victim
To wear the skin of the sacrificial victim on one's
body signified renovation through death to insure the continuation of life.
This god is the patron of jewelry-makers, perhaps by analogy for example
with the process of "lost wax" casting, in which the succession
of layers of clay, wax and metal fulfill their function to give way to
a finished piece. He reminds us of the process that the earth undergoes,
which moves its dried layers to give way to the fertile, newly green earth.
This is only the representation of the head of the god, in which may be
seen the skin placed as if a mask on its face and tied at the back of the
neck. It was found to the south of the Templo Mayor, in a Colonial period
trash dump and it is made of tezontle stone.
Last Modified: January 14, 1998.
Museo del Templo Mayor, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e História,
México.
Seminario #8, Centro Histórico. Cuauhtémoc,
México, D.F. 06060
©Copyright
1997
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