Mexican Rock Crystal Turtle Pendant

Mexican rock crystal (quartz) turtle pendant, age unknown. Turtles and tortoises are ubiquitous in Mexican folk art and culture, from the pre-classic Mayan period through to the present. As with other indigenous peoples throughout the Americas, these animals represented the creation of the earth itself. Some Mayan altars take the form of turtles, with the Malze God shown rising out of the turtle shell of earth. The Zapotec people believed that their ancestors descended from clouds as turtles, perhaps a reference to the association of turtles with water, rain, and fertility. Mexica (Aztec) sculptures often depict human-turtle figures as well. The great longevity of turtles and tortoises may underlie their association with the gods, and the ancestors.

2” x 1 1/8”