Man Carrying a Cacao Pod

Item number 40.16 from the Brooklyn Museum.

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Description

Figure of a man carrying a cacao pod. Left hand holds stem attached to top of pod; right hand rests on middle of pod. Eyes and mouth are open. Traces of red pigment are visible around mouth, ear and central ornament on figure's headdress. Figure wearing traditional loincloth (maxtlatl). Right arm is cracked and repaired; feet are broken off; small section of stone on finger near knuckle of right hand is missing; some surface chipping overall.

Credit Line

Museum Collection Fund

Label

The importance of maize (corn) and chocolate, two of the many plants native to the Americas, is exemplified by these Aztec sculptures.

The relief panel of the maize goddess Chicomecóatl may have been set into an altar. Chicomecóatl controlled the positive and negative powers of growth and famine. Her elaborate headdress is topped by two ears of corn. In her right hand, she holds a snake-shaped rattle staff, used to penetrate and fertilize the soil.

The man carrying a cacao pod may represent one of the merchants who brought cacao beans from the tropical coastal lowlands to the Valley of Mexico. Chocolate, made from the beans of the cacao pod, was a popular drink in Aztec society.

Item History

Made between 1440 and 1521

What

Name: Man Carrying a Cacao Pod
Identification Number: 40.16
Type of Item: carrying and man
Material: volcanic stone and traces of red pigment
Overall: length 14.25 in, width 7.0 in, height 7.5 in

Where

Holding Institution: Brooklyn Museum

Who

Culture: Aztec

When

Creation Date: between 1440 and 1521

Other

Location: American Identities: A New Look, American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, The Americas’ First Peoples, 4000 B.C.E.–1521 C.E., 5th Floor
Classification: Sculpture