Mexican
Jaguar Transformation Maskette, 1000 - 500 B.C.E
Not on view
Jade
Dimensions2 × 1 3/4 in. (5.1 × 4.4 cm)
Gift of Barry Fitzmorris, 2011.259
Members of the Olmec society had a high regard for jade, even more so than gold and silver. It is believed today that the preferred green color of the mineral was associated with the color of maize, the growth cycle, and renewal and rejuvenation after death. It is also thought that jade was associated with life in general and with the sun and wind. Small in size and lacking holes for eyes and nose, these masks could not have been worn over a living face. Most likely they would have been worn as pendants around the neck or buried with the deceased.
