Xipe Totec Figure
Artist:
Unknown
Place made:Mexico
General region:North and Central America
Culture: Aztec
Period: Pre-Columbian
Date: c. A.D. 1350-1520
Medium: Stone
Dimensions:
4 1/2 × 3 1/4 × 3 1/2 in. (11.4 × 8.3 × 8.9 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Estate of Ethel J. Drought
Object number: 44.98.22.a
Provenance: with Ethel Tunstall Drought (1864-1943), San Antonio, TX by 1944; by gift of the Drought estate to the Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX, 1944; by transfer to the San Antonio Museum of Art 1994
Label Text
This stone sculpture, carved in the round, may depict the god Xipe Totec - the Flayed Lord. One of the defining physical features of this deity is the wearing of skin from sacrificed humans. On this figure, the half circle below the nose and surrounding the mouth is an indication of this feature. Xipe Totec was associated with life, death, and renewal. (Bernadette Cap, 2022)
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
