The famous "Adolescent" sandstone sculpture represents a priest. Aside from the reverent posture the youth shows, this sculpture is unique in the detail of the tattoos on most of the young man's back, from his nape to his heels. The detailed symbols are associated with the Huaxtec Quetzalcoatl. The Adolescent is from the site of Tamuín, San Luis Potosí.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
I really like this one. Here the top of the goddess's headdress holds three ears of corn; this maize headdress is the most common symbol for corn deities in Mesoamerica. Because maize was so essential to subsistence in Mesoamerica, such agricultural deities were and continue to be central to community cult. The maize deities could be represented as female, such as with this splendid sculpture, or as male, as with the boyish Dhipaak. In contemporary indigenous religion of northern Veracruz, the maize is personified in both male and female aspects, often as either a boy and girl among the contemporary Nahua or as a grandmother and grandfather as among the neighboring Otomí peoples.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
Cuilocintla is a small community in the municipality of Chicontepec, in north Veracruz. Before Aztec immigrants entered the Huasteca in the 14th century, the dominant society had been the Huaxtec Maya, who often warred against the Aztecs and were one of the few neighboring societies to continually resist Aztec subjugation. Much of the archaeological record from these now Aztec lands represents earlier Huaxtec occupation, as exemplified with this fascinating stone sculpture. The front side, at left, depicts a supernatural being standing upon a two-headed throne. The ferocity of its open mouth suggests that it could represent one of the monstrous spirits known as Tzitzimitl among the Aztecs. The back side features a relief of a calendar date, "2 Caiman," at the end of the figure's loincloth.
Xalapa Museum of Anthropology
These mysterious figures have accessories characteristic to the Gulf Coast, most notably the conical headdress and hook-shaped earrings, all exaggerated here. Other well-known deities like the Wind God Quetzalcoatl-Ehecatl still retain such Gulf Coast elements, even where the deity is represented in other parts of Mesoamerica. These death deities seem to have monkey skeletal faces. Both sculptures are from Chicontepec, Veracruz.
National Museum of Anthropology and History, Xalapa Museum of Anthropology
Standing at nearly two-thirds life-size, the Lord of Ozuluama is an intriguing expression of Huaxtec concepts of death. On the front side, as pictured here, the upper jaw of a great monster appears to be devouring the deceased lord by starting on the top of the head. On the back of the figure is a small relief of a skeleton, probably a death deity, with taloned hands and feet.
Xalapa Museum of Anthropology
This figure recalls the Rain God Tlaloc, with the goggled eyes and fanged corner teeth that are typical of the Mesoamerican deity. The conch shell slice as its pendant may be an allusion to fishing. This sculpture is from San José, a small region near Tuxpan, Veracruz.
Xalapa Museum of Anthropology
One of several intoxication deities. Ometochtli literally means "Two Rabbit" - on his chest he bears the emblem of a rabbit's face with two dots, signifying the day-sign of his birth. An Aztec myth says that he was eventually killed by Tezcatlipoca. The clasping positions of his hands suggest that this statue may have supported banners for the Huaxtecs.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
"Moon" and "Sun" are here placed in quotation marks for sake of convention, not to suggest that these sculptures have a direct correlation to those celestial bodies. The two sculptures are from Las Palmas, Veracruz. They may have originally stood as doorjamb supporters. Both of these figures have the familiar conical headdress of the Huaxtec priesthood, and their headdresses are both stylized as the open jaws of a large beast.
Xalapa Museum of Anthropology