Hand Painted Ceramic Mayan Turtle Mask from Mexico, "Sun and Moon Tortoise"

Depicting a Mayan legend from ancient times, this ceramic mask from Mexico features hand-painted designs that are full of life. Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association narrate the myth of the tortoise, which says that during the destruction of the world, the sun and the moon both fled beneath the shell of a tortoise, which saved their lives. In much of Maya imagery, the sun and the moon are often associated with the tortoise.