mayan crafts

The feathered serpent of Mesoamerican legend has a human face and a bird perches on his head. To the Maya, he was Kukulkan while the Aztecs called him Quetzalcoatl and in Yucatán he was known as Tepeu Kukumaz. Morneo depicts his own interpretation of the pre-Hispanic deity in bright psychedelic colors. The Mexican artisan works in papier-maché, crafting and painting the signature mask by hand.

Tlaloc is the god of rain in a number of Mesoamerican cultures, beginning with the vast city of Teotihuacan where he was also venerated as a fertility god. Deity of earthly waters and fertility, Tlaloc was believed to be responsible for drought as well as for floods in ancient Teotihuacan. This belief spread throughout Mexico, reaching the Maya who referred to him as Chaac, and from there to Central American cultures. Morneo depicts his own interpretation of the pre-Hispanic rain god in bright colors. The Mexican artisan works in papier-maché, crafting and painting the signature mask by hand.

Angel Cerón presents a faithful replica of the Aztec calendar, known also as the "Sun Stone." According to pre-Hispanic beliefs, there have been a total of five suns, including the current one. According to legend, the previous four, together with humans, were destroyed by the gods' wrath. The calendar represents the fifth sun and tells the story of the past four and marks the changing of the seasons. The Aztecs (or "Mexica," as they called themselves) believed the sun struggled daily against the forces of darkness. They aided the sun through human sacrifices.

Few images from Mexico's ancient past have remained in the collective imagination like that of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent deity, from whom Mesoamerican peoples claim descent. This cocktail ring by Rosa Rojo is crafted of sterling silver, depicting a double-headed snake and alluding to the feathers in a highly-stylized fashion.

The Angel Ceron Artisan Association in Mexico presents the Aztec lord of the dead, Mictlantecuhtli. The statuette is crafted by hand from terracotta with a natural finish. Mictlantecuhtli, once worshiped throughout Mesoamerica, is often depicted as covered with bones or wearing a skull mask.

Quetzalcoatl, the ancient pre-Hispanic deity depicted as a feathered serpent, is depicted in this striking men's stretch charm bracelet by Angel Ortiz. Working in the iconic style of Taxco silversmithing, Mexican artisans expertly craft the lustrous bead and textured charm from sterling silver, dangling gracefully from an array of fabulous tiger’s eye beads.