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Greenstone Toad Face Yoke/Mold
carved stone
c. 300-1200 CE
Classic Veracruz culture
Veracruz, Mexico

#handmade #carved #greenstone #toad #face #yoke #mold #mesoamerica #ballgame #lifeordeath #underworld #frog #afterlife #resurrection #rebirth #precolumbian #prehispanic #classicveracruz #mexico #art
Sculptures like this were once erroneously interpreted as ‘yokes’ worn when playing the Mesoamerican ballgame. In fact they were used as molds for shaping the protective leather belts secured to the waists of players to cushion the impact of the heavy rubber ball. The ball court itself was a carefully circumscribed sacred space and a symbolic entrance to the Underworld for the losers in what was a life-and-death contest. The toad lives at the threshold between the earthly and subterranean worlds.
November 2, 2026 at 1:24 PM