Sculpture of Mictlantecuhtli

This is a pale, speckled stone sculpture of the Aztec deity Mictlantecuhtli, depicted with a skeletal visage featuring sunken eyes and an exposed jaw. The figure is shown in a crouched, seated position with arms positioned near the chest and wearing traditional ritual regalia, including a distinctive headdress with a spiral motif. The material appears to be a porous stone, possibly volcanic tuff or a similar lithic medium, showing significant weathering consistent with archaeological artifacts.

Mictlantecuhtli presided over Mictlan, the lowest level of the Aztec underworld, and was a central figure in Mesoamerican death rites and eschatology. This sculpture reflects the Aztec preoccupation with the cycle of life and death, as documented in sources such as the Codex Borgia and the Florentine Codex.