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Native American Religions


Religions and cults of the indigenous people of the American continent: North American tribes, Aztec, Maya, and other natives.



50 photos
Greenstone mask of the Aztec god Xipe Totec, the "Flayed God".The mask, with a double line for mouth and eyes, symbolizes a spring ritual in which a prisoner was flayed and an Aztec warrior wore his skin until it rotted away. 15th. Height 21.5 cm. Inv. 12415
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Greenstone mask of the Aztec god Xipe Totec, the "Flayed God".The mask, w...

Portrait mask of the Sun God from the Sun Temple at Palenque, Mexico. The mask was originally placed on the outer wall of the cella, but was later ritually buried under the temple. Stucco, paint (600-900 CE). Height 21 cm. Inv. 10-222284
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Portrait mask of the Sun God from the Sun Temple at Palenque, Mexico. The ma...

Wooden ceremonial mask of the Bella Coola tribe, North West American Coast (19th). Height 35 cm
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Wooden ceremonial mask of the Bella Coola tribe, North West American Coas...

Rock crystal carving in the form of a human skull. Possibly Aztec or Mixtec, Mexico (ca. 14th-15th), or Spanish Colonial. Height 21 cm
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Rock crystal carving in the form of a human skull. Possibly Aztec or Mixtec...

Coiled rattlesnake. Basalt (ca. 1510, before Spanish conquest). Height 33 cm
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Coiled rattlesnake. Basalt (ca. 1510, before...

Rocks in Orongo, on the slopes of Rano Raku volcano, show petroglyphs of birdmen (with beak) and the creation god Make make.
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Rocks in Orongo, on the slopes of Rano Raku volcano, show petroglyphs of bird...

Indian Blackfoot shaman with tambourine and spear. From Illustrations of the North American Indians by George Catlin. Lithograph; 1876. George Catlin was the first artist to observe the tribes of the Plains Indians and to illustrate their habits and customs from first-hand observation. His belief in the "noble savage", unspoiled by contact with the outside world, sustained him as he crossed and re-crossed the country - from the Mississippi to the Rockies - gathering raw material for his Indian Gallery.
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Indian Blackfoot shaman with tambourine and spear. From Illustrations of the Nor...

Double spout and bridge vessel with hummingbirds, Nasca culture, Peru, 200 BCE-600 CE. Decorated with several hummingbirds flying around two flowers at the base of the spouts. Hummingbirds were considered intermediaries or manifestations of the mountain gods. After painting, slip was applied and the vessel fired and burnished to a characteristic glossy finish. Ethno 1913.10-29.1
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Double spout and bridge vessel with hummingbirds, Nasca culture, Peru, 200 BCE-6...

Lintel 24, one of three panels from structure 23 at Yaxchilan, Mexico. It represents a bloodletting ritual performed by the king of Yaxchilan, Shield Jaguar II, and his wife, Lady K'ab'al Xook. The Maya king holds a flaming torch over his wife, who is pulling a thorny rope through her tongue. The glyphs in the text at the top indicate the event and the date, 709 CE.
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Lintel 24, one of three panels from structure 23 at Yaxchilan, Mexico. It repre...

Sandstone seated figure of the god Mictlantecuhtli, associated with death; Aztec,Mexico, 1325-1521. Mictlantecuhtli inhabited the lowest of the nine levels of the Underworld. The soul of the deceased went to a particular level according to the circumstances of their death. Those who died of natural causes went to the ninth level and had to negotiate all sorts of obstacles to reach it. Ethno,1849.6-29.2
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Sandstone seated figure of the god Mictlantecuhtli, associated with death; Aztec...

Detail of a turquois mosaic of a double-headed serpent, Aztec/Mixtec. It is carved in wood and covered with turquois mosaic. The eye sockets were probably inlaid with iron pyrites and shell. This ornment was probablyworn as a pectoral on ceremonial occasions. The serpent played a very important role in Aztec religion. Ethno, 1894-634
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Detail of a turquois mosaic of a double-headed serpent, Aztec/Mixtec. It is carv...

Mosaic mask of Tezcatlipoca, one of the Aztec creator gods, also the god of rulers, warriors and sorcerers. Alternate bands of turquoise and lignite cover a human skull. The jew is moveable and hinged with leather. The eyes are made of two disks of iron pyrite set in rings of shell. Turquoise was sent as tribute to the Aztec capital from several provinces of the empire. Ethno, ST 401
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Mosaic mask of Tezcatlipoca, one of the Aztec creator gods, also the god of rule...