Pair of Mayan Aztec Vintage Totem Sculptures ~ Hand Painted ~ Hand Carved

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Remarkable Unique and Intricate Pair of Hand Carved and Hand Painted Mayan Aztec Totem Sculptures. Beautifully carved wood with hand … Read more Remarkable Unique and Intricate Pair of Hand Carved and Hand Painted Mayan Aztec Totem Sculptures. Beautifully carved wood with hand painted details in intense vibrant colors. This vintage piece features indigenous figures with traditional headdresses and geometric patterns.

Mayan sculptures often depict figures holding ears of corn because maize was considered a sacred, life-giving substance rather than just a staple crop, central to their creation stories, cosmology and survival. The corn symbolizes divinity, fertility, renewal, and the cyclical nature of life and death, representing the Maize God himself. In essence, these sculptures are not merely artistic representations but are also objects that celebrate maize as the "Universal Mother" or "She Who Sustains Life".

Symbolically, the headdress is sacred regalia crafted from hundreds of iridescent green quetzal feathers, blue cotinga feathers, and gold accents, worn by elites and priests to represent divine authority.

The male sculpture is wearing an exquisite headdress with bright colors, trimmed with gold. a snarling jaguar sits atop his headpiece. His strong facial features stand out against the dynamic detailing of his attire. Adorned with bicep, wrist, ankle and chest pieces. His loincloth is highly decorated with large, colorful feathers. He is holding maize between his hands.

The female sculpture is presented here as a "mother" and is wearing a headdress less intense than the male while her headdress represents Mayan Duality featuring a central face which is encompassed - or "bitten" - by two serpent faces on either side. One serpent is painted red and the other is painted green. This design is associated with the cultural belief of Family Protection. She is wearing similar bicep, wrist, and ankle pieces which are less dynamic than the male. In her hands, she is playfully holding a child upside down by its' legs. The child's face can be seen peeking out from between his mother's feet.

Unlike the male sculpture, the back of the female is accentuated with the bodies of the biting serpents from the top of the headdress. See less