Sometime between 500-450 B.C., the Zapotec people began to build the great city of Mount Alban. By the time this intriguing sculpture was made, the Zapotecs had firmly established a flourishing and powerful state. The figure wears a headdress comprised of two "winged" extensions curving outwards from his head, and attached to a thick collar around his neck. These striated appendages resemble abstract corn silks used in conjunction with depictions of rain gods. His face is very realistic, given the appearance of an old man in the fashion of many deity images. His left hand is placed on his head, and on the wrist is a bracelet of thick beads similar to ones encircling his neck. Two vertical extensions rise from the 'wings', giving the impression he is about to fly back to the heavens. The power of this figure is worthy of a people who left behind fascinating art and considerable mystery.