Mirror with Jaguar or Coyote Mosaic
Teotihuacan
500–600
- Medium
- Iron pyrite, jade, shell, magnatite or ilmenite, and spondylus shell
- Dimensions
- Diam.: 19.1 cm (7 1/2 in.)
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
inlay (process)pyritemesoamericanamericasaccessories (object genre)mosaicmetamorphic rockjaderockmineralinorganic materialritual objectsArts of the AmericasteotihuacánPre-Columbianmirrorfelineart of the americas
About
For over 2,000 years, polished stone mirrors were an important component of Mesoamerican attire, ritual, and symbolic imagery. This mirror is made of a single sheet of polished pyrite stone and includes a jade jaguar mosaic at its center. Mirrors often functioned as emblems of rank and office and were typically worn at the small of the back. The depiction of such mirrors in ancient murals, as worn by warriors, priests, and state officials, attests to their importance in the spectacular art of ritual performance in Teotihuacan.
