Mosaic God of Death in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 2018

Mosaic of God of Death, A.D. 600–800


Object Details

Date: A.D. 600–800

Geography: Guatemala, Petén

Culture: Maya

Medium: Mother-of-pearl, jadeite

Dimensions: H. 6 1/4 × W. 4 3/16 in. (15.8 × 10.7 cm)

Classifications: Shell-Ornaments, Stone

Credit Line: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala City (17.7.21.210b)


The Maya death god—with a distended belly simulating a rotting corpse—wears a towering headdress composed of mother-of-pearl with a trefoil crown, a symbol of Maya rulership. The bird’s bare red head and white body possibly identify it as a king vulture.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/722319