realistic sculpture

Depicted in the Florentine Codex as well as in historic paintings, the jaguar warrior comes to life in ceramic. Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association portray the warrior wearing the jaguar's paws on his hands as well as a mask that represents the fierce spotted cat. These fighting men formed one of the elite divisions of the Aztec army.

By Walter Jose Acosta, this huaco, or terracotta vessel is a realistic portrait of a man from Peru's pre-Inca Moche culture. Archaeologists believe these "head portraits" were crafted for ceremonial purposes to guarantee a life after death. They have been found in tombs, and may be a way of identifying the dead as a member of Moche society. Crafted by hand, the vessel is meticulously painted by hand in russet brown on beige.

A Maya woman sits with legs crossed as she works on a backstrap loom. Rocking back and forth she controls the tension as she creates an expanse of cloth. "This movement represented the human heartbeat, thus weaving was a sacred act for the ancient Maya, and weavers were considered the 'mothers of creation,'" Nicolas Chavez Sojuel explains. He works in fragrant cedar wood to depict his subject as realistically as did the pre-Hispanic ceramists of Jaina Island more than a thousand years ago in their "Female Figure with Loom." Deftly carving intricate details with superb realism, the Guatemalan artisan dresses the woman in a necklace of pinewood beads.

Paddling serenely across a pre-Hispanic lake, an ancient duck is frozen en time, the moment preserved for eternity. Walter Jose Acosta depicts the beautiful bird in a ceremonial vessel in the style of Peru's Moche people, who crafted realistic clay portraits of people and animals. This exquisite replica of an ancient huaco, or clay vessel is meticulously crafted of burnished terracotta and painted by hand.