Aztec culture
Central AmericaTurtle with Human Face, 1100 - 1400 CE
Not on view
Jade
Dimensions2 1/4 × 3 3/8 × 5 3/4 in. (5.7 × 8.6 × 14.6 cm)
Gift of Barry Fitzmorris, 2011.200
Music was very important to the Aztec people, and drums were made from a variety of materials including turtle shells. This small jade sculpture represents Macuilxochitl, the Aztec god of song, dance, and games. In this unique depiction, his human head and hands emerge from a turtle's shell.
