Artwork Page for Ear Ornament

Details / Information for Ear Ornament

Ear Ornament

150–200 CE

Central Mexico, Teotihuacán style, Classic period

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Medium
jadeite-albitite(?)
Measurements
Diameter: 5.6 cm (2 3/16 in.); Overall: 2.4 cm (15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener 1990.264.1
Public Domain
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Location
233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region
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Description

Near Teotihuacán's largest palace is a small temple gorgeously ornamented with green-feathered serpents, symbols of the earth's fertility. Beneath the temple lie at least 120 human sacrifices, most men, many warriors, and some wearing greenstone ornaments like these, perhaps a set. The sacrifices, apparently laid out to mark the cardinal directions, may have consecrated the temple or a ruler's tomb, or both.
A thick ring of jadeite and albitite is shaped into an ear ornament with a wide opening in the center. Its polished surface is mottled with muted green, tan, and warm brown, accented by dark patches and tiny black specks. The rounded rim curves inward, forming a soft, continuous arc. Light glints along the upper edges, emphasizing the natural mineral variations and the dense, solid form of the stone.

Ear Ornament

150–200 CE

Central Mexico, Teotihuacán style, Classic period

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