Sandal

1450–1539 CE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Most footwear in ancient Mesoamerica was made of either woven fibers or animal leather, but artists crafted this luxury sandal with gilded copper; it may have had a textile attachment. Extravagant sandals such as this example may have been worn before they were offered to the Sacred Cenote.



En la época precolombina, la mayoría del calzado de Mesoamérica estaba hecho de fibras tejidas o de cuero animal, pero los artistas elaboraron esta lujosa sandalia recubierta de cobre que puede haber tenido también un textil. Sandalias extravagantes como estas quizás fueron utilizadas antes de ser ofrecidas al Cenote Sagrado.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Sandal
  • Date: 1450–1539 CE
  • Geography: Mexico, Yucatan
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Gilded copper
  • Dimensions: H. 2 13/16 × W. 1 15/16 × L. 6 1/8 in. (7.1 × 5 × 15.5 cm)
  • Classifications: Metalwork-Copper, Implements
  • Credit Line: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Peabody Museum Expedition, 1907–1910 (10-71-20/C7419)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing