bearing the mesmerizingly horrific likeness of the earth goddess Tlaltecuhtli (pronounced tlal-TEK-tli)—the symbol of the Aztec life and death cycle, squatting to give birth while drinking her ...

This ritual ensured the Aztec civilization was renewed for another half century. The darker turquoise mosaic pieces on the cheeks and nose of the mask appear to form a butterfly, another symbol of ...

(Rebecca Stacey) "The two heads in this snake is the symbol of dualism, which was a fundamental part of the Aztec religion. All the deities have a dual nature - male, female, birth, death ...