Two-headed Female Figurine

1200–400 BCE
Overall: 9.6 x 4.2 x 1.8 cm (3 3/4 x 1 5/8 x 11/16 in.)
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Location: not on view

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Did You Know?

Double-headed figurines may reflect the belief that interaction between two basic principles gives rise to the universe.

Description

This ceramic figurine—in the style of Tlatilco, an early village site in central Mexico—depicts a female with two heads and stubby arms. Since many figurines from the period depict females, modern interpreters usually connect them to fertility concerns. Here, however, the physical abnormalities may indicate a relationship with the supernatural realm.
Two-headed Female Figurine

Two-headed Female Figurine

1200–400 BCE

Mesoamerica, Central Mexico, Tlatilco

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