The Head of the Rain God housed at the Dallas Art Museum
Introduction
Tlaloc was one of the most important gods in Mesoamerica and has maintained an air of significance for archeologist and artist studying Pre- Colombian history. Tlaloc’s importance comes from him being revered as the god of rain, water and fertility for multiple Pre-Colombian communities. For example, the rain god was worshiped atop of Templo Mayor, which was one of the main temples located in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The rain god is commonly depicted wearing large circular goggles over his eyes and with fangs protruding from his mouth. The Head of the Rain God Tlaloc is a Pre-Colombian statue that appears to be massive and could possibly weigh almost a thousand pounds due to its size and material composition. The statue appears to be made up of ceramic and stucco that was once beautifully painted with vibrant colors. Due to the monument being very large, one could infer that it would be placed atop of a large structure such as a pyramid with a temple on top. The scale of the design and the symbolism gathered from the various features aid in adding vibrancy and meaning to the sculpture.
Headdress
Feathers
The headdress is an eye-catching piece featuring feathers, roping and
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The extension appears to have no blunt ends and can be described as large swirls that represent the clouds in a storm or streams of water. The extension has remnants of its once vibrant blue paint still intact on the left side of the piece. If the statue is viewed directly from the front the extension appears as a thin column of rectangles stacked along the middle of the nose. However, from the side the protruding nature of the extension are apparent if observed from various standing angles. The extension flows seamlessly with the accompanying statue elements due to the it’s smoothness and overall