Tzinacantecuhtli (Bat Lord)

A Tzinacantecuhtli is a hybrid being that combines an upright man with a bat’s claws and head, including large ears and a leaf-shaped nose. Here, the figure wears a loincloth, ruff, and necklace of three bells with clappers shaped like bones. Associated with darkness, caves, and the underworld, bats were believed capable of traversing different realms of the cosmos. Both destructive and generative, a Tzinacantecuhtli was linked to sacrifice, fertility, and renewal. Monumental sculptures such as this reminded communities of their obligations for the perpetuation of the world.