\\\*Ceremonial Drum

\\\*Ceremonial Drum

with two resonance drums to modulate the sounds of the ceremony. It is richly decorated with ideograms and motifs evoking the god of death, the sun, a sacrificial knife and the attributes of the god Yuizilopochtli. This drum was probably used in the sacrificial rites associated with the blossoming wars. Yuizilopochtli, Aztec god of war and the sun personified by the hummingbird, is one of the Aztecs' most important deities. For them, warriors were reincarnated in the form of a hummingbird, and the south represented the left side of the world. This is why his name meant "the resurrected warrior of the south". This extremely rare work is a cultural testimony of great importance, personifying the vision of this people, their warrior customs and belief in a new life after death. Polychrome terracotta Aztec, Mexico, 1300 - 1521 A.D. 36 x 34.6 cm Provenance : - Former Yvon Collet collection since 1969 - Galerie Mermoz, 2004 Among the Aztecs, flowery wars were not intended to kill enemies, but to ritualize the conflict by taking them prisoner and sacrificing them at the top of the sacred pyramid. The victor presented the vanquished to the priest-sacrificer and servant of the Sun god (the vanquished warrior was often under the influence of a hallucinogen to dull the pain). It was then customary to tear out the heart and present it, still palpitating, to the sun. For the defeated warrior, this was considered a great honor and a hope of eternal life with the sun god.