New Mexico, Mimbres culture,
Salado region
Ritual cache figures
c. 1350 A.D.
Stone, wood, cotton, feathers, and pigment
basket: l.: 97 cm; ritual figures: ht.: 64 cm, 36 cm; snakes: l.: 40 cm, 44 cm; mountain lion: ht.: 9 cm; four sticks: each 61.5 cm
Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment, 1979.17.1-11

Two human images, serpents, a mountain lion, and throwing sticks used in hunting form this group of ceremonial objects, which were found in a cave in what is now New Mexico. They were made over 500 years ago by an ancient Amerindian people who may be the ancestors of today’s Pueblo Indians.

These objects were brought out only for ceremonies marking the seasons. The zigzag designs and turquoise color on the tall male figure suggest the sky, while the smaller figure’s primary color suggests the earth.