Crocodile whistle and rattle
Not on view
Common inhabitants of swamps and lagoons, crocodiles held key roles in Maya cosmology. The earth was equated with the back of a crocodile emerging from water, while the sky was embodied by another creature that combined crocodile and deer attributes. Painted in luxurious Maya blue, this crocodile doubles as a whistle, blown through the right hind leg, and a rattle, with clay pellets inside the front half of the modeled figure.
Silbato y sonaja de cocodrilo
México
700-800 d. C.
Cerámica, pigmento
Habitantes comunes de lagunas y pantanos, los cocodrilos desempeñaron un papel preponderante en la cosmología maya. La tierra se equiparaba con el lomo de un cocodrilo que salía del agua y el cielo era personificado por otra criatura que combinaba atributos de cocodrilo y venado. Pintado con el lujoso azul maya, este objeto tiene dos funciones: silbato cuando se sopla por la pata trasera derecha, y sonaja al agitarlo, pues la mitad frontal del cuerpo contiene bolitas de arcilla.
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