rings

A skeletal figure, she stands with her hands raised in the posture of women who die in childbirth. Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association sculpt the image of Coatlicue, "She of the serpent skirt." The Mexica earth goddess and mother of the gods, her image bears the symbol "Eight Malinalli, or "grass." Her son Huitzilopochtli, the sun god and god of war, defended her from the powers of the night.

Beginning in the sixth century B.C., varying versions of a ball game spread across Mesoamerica, and ball courts can be found in many pre-Hispanic cities. Stone rings, with openings just wide enough to allow the ball to pass through, hung vertically on each side of the court and opposing players tried to knock the ball through the rings using only their hips, buttocks and knees. By Elisa Camarena, this sculpture replicates a ball court ring from the Maya culture; it is displayed on a pinewood stand.

With a long and ringed neck, rounded breasts and plaited hair, this beautiful piece portrays the uninhibited elegance of Ndebele women. Samuel Lovi transforms clay and kaolin to create a touching sculpture. Embracing all female enigmas and answers, this ceramic piece will make an extraordinary and original gift.

The family relaxes at home, enjoying the shade of the tall, peaked roof. A woman brings a bowl as everyone prepares to share a meal, and even the family dog hopes for a morsel. Carefully molding terracotta by hand, Rita Sandoval depicts the images in the style of ancient Nayarit, with their characteristic halo-style hats and short limbs. This type of roof is characteristic of images found at Los Toriles archaeological site.

A skeletal figure, she stands with her hands raised in the posture of women who die in childbirth. Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association sculpt the image of Coatlicue, "She of the serpent skirt." The Mexica earth goddess and mother of the gods, her image bears the symbol "Eight Malinalli, or "grass." Her son Huitzilopochtli, the sun god and god of war, defended her from the powers of the night.

Angel Cerón reveals the presence of Chalchiuhtlicue as he works with clay extracted from the state of Oaxaca. Officially authorized to replicate pre-Hispanic museum pieces, Cerón crafts a detailed statuette of this feminine deity, the female companion of Tlaloc, Aztec god of rain. The original is dated between 1325 and 1521 A.D. Chalchiuhtlicue is the goddess of lakes, rivers, fountains, seas and oceans, and thus the protector of sailors and is also known as "She with the Jade Skirt" symbolizing pure and crystalline running water. "Chalchiuhtlicue is usually depicted holding a staff representing lightning, and a bag of copal, where clouds are formed. She is revered as the female principle of life and patron of midwives and newborns," explains Cerón who though he has officially retired, he continues to pursue his life-long passion for pre-Hispanic art.

Perpetuating the legacy of the ancient Maya, Ruben and Gilda Perez depicts a canoe journey on a slab of dark green jade. Deities paddle the boat that carries the maize god, a spider monkey, dog, parrot and iguana with human attributes. The original image is etched into bone discovered at burial 166 in Tikal, and is on there display at the Morley Museum.

The Guatemalan artisans display the plaque on a black pinewood base.

Wearing the skin of a jaguar, a young man dances to the sound of an unseen drum as he imitates the movements of the lithe jungle cat. Ruben and Gilda Perez depicts an image from a vase discovered at Altar de Sacrificios, an ancient Maya site locate upriver from Yaxchilan. An offering in Burial 96, the original polychrome vase is crafted of terracotta and on display at Guatemala's Museum of Anthropology and History.

The Guatemalan artisans etch the intricate motifs into natural jade and display the plaque on a black pinewood base.