The artist of this Pre-Colombian stone death mask portrays a magnificent use of this mask; to transform the ordinary to the extraordinary, and to eternalize the man behind this mask.
This artist captures the life-force by bringing this man closer to god through the mas itself. The artist has created the mask for two purposes. The first is to shield the life tha has just passed, the second is to bring new life to the man through the beautifully carve open eye and mouth slits.
Exuberance and energy emanate from the mask through the sensitive depiction of line an form. The strong outline of facial features and geometric patterns over the ears show th artistic power to idealize the face behind the mask. The jaguar at the crown of the mask,
symbolizes this man's power and shows the transformation of the prominent man behin the mask into an eternal spirit, capable of thinking like the powerful jaguar. The jagua on this mask represents two ideals about this man and his culture. The jaguar coul represent his prominence in his own community as a chieftain or leader, on the other han it may be a symbol for the entire tribe and their worship of a powerful animal. In eithe case, the mask transforms the man who has died into a powerful leader, ready to merg thoughts with the gods. The precision of the carved forms leave us breathless over th Ancient depiction and transformation of a man towards his after life.