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Eccentric flint

1200 A.D. - 1500 B.C.

Blades of flint are often chipped in unusual shapes. This claw-shaped example may have been worn on the hands of royal individuals during ceremonies to represent the paws of the jaguar, one of the most revered creatures in ancient Mesoamerica. Flint was associated with Chac, the Maya god of rain and lightning.

Flint

4 1/2 x 5 5/8 x 7/16 in. (11.43 x 14.29 x 1.11 cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

57.73

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Feasting with the Gods: Art and Ceremony in Ancient Mesoamerica and the Central Andes, December 11, 2003 - July 19, 2004

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