detailed sculpture

Chaac, the Maya lord of rain, sits on his throne with arms crossed in front at his chest, regarded as an unusual depiction for this deity which artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association replicate from a sculpture dated 250-800 AD. This anthropomorphic image fuses reptilian or amphibian characteristics with that of an elderly human. The artisans sculpt this ceramic piece with sublime detail, including a throne separately from the sculpture.

Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association replicate the vivid sculpture of a Maya woman, believed to be related to the cult of the goddess of weavers. The original dates circa 600 - 800 AD and was found in the Island of Jaina, off the coast of Campeche. "The Maya named this island Hanal, which means 'house of water' and turned it into a commercial center," the artisans explain. "Renamed Jaina by the Spanish, the island is now famous for its myriad Maya tombs filled with a variety of statuettes and utensils, as was their custom. The fact that the original sculpture portrayed a woman with an elaborate headdress and detailed garments suggests she represented a person from the aristocracy."

Experts in pre-Hispanic art, artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association replicate this extraordinary statuette of Aztec-Mixtec origin. Dated 1325–1521 AD, a brave warrior holds a quetzal gently in his hand as the bird's long green tail cascades over his arm. Working with yellow clay from Oaxaca, the artisans sculpt this museum replica with magnificent details. Includes a stand.

A Maya woman sits with legs crossed as she works on a backstrap loom. Rocking back and forth she controls the tension as she creates an expanse of cloth. "This movement represented the human heartbeat, thus weaving was a sacred act for the ancient Maya, and weavers were considered the 'mothers of creation,'" Nicolas Chavez Sojuel explains. He works in fragrant cedar wood to depict his subject as realistically as did the pre-Hispanic ceramists of Jaina Island more than a thousand years ago in their "Female Figure with Loom." Deftly carving intricate details with superb realism, the Guatemalan artisan dresses the woman in a necklace of pinewood beads.