Mexican Handmade Ceramic Museum Replica Mother Dog Figurine, "Aztec Dog with Puppies"

Seeming to smile, a mother dog with wrinkled skin rejoices in a litter of wriggling puppies. Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association depict the itzcuintli, a cheerful, barkless species prized by ancient man. Sculpted in clay as funerary offerings, they accompanied their masters in death to aid the soul in crossing rivers of blood along the road of the dead.