Description
Mictlantecuhtli, the great lord of death (the other life), was the patron of this ancient Totonac city. The museum’s prized item is the sole unfired clay sculpture with stucco and the remains of paint in Mesoamerica. To this are added funerary offerings and ceramic figures of the very highest quality.
Historical overview
The site was an important pre-Hispanic settlement, with monumental structures built from unfired clay. Two clues would indicate that the urban complex dates to the Classic period (300 - 900 AD): the architectural layout and monumental size of its buildings are typical of this period and the complex is situated in the La Mixtequilla region, which reached its peak during these years. Among the most important finds are a complex of magnificent ceramic figures, including Mictlantecuhtli, the God of Death. The various sculptures were accompanied by an ossuary which had one hundred clay figures, including the so-called “smiling faces,” and a group of women with bare torsos which have been called the “Ladies of the Earth,” as they are identified with Cihuateteotl.
The culture is very similar to that of the Cerro de las Mesas site and other small Remojadas culture sites.