The belief that death is a crucial element in the continuation of life is a belief shared by many Meso-American people. The Maya and Aztecs both regarded the 'other world' as an integral part of the physical world, and that the barrier separating the two was like a revolving door. Therefore, cults venerating and appeasing death flourished for centuries, and are still a fundamental part of many cultures. This remarkable sculpture of an animal's skull strikes deeply into our primordial consciousness. Its unadorned power is elemental, forceful and penetrating. The delicate carving of the face and handsome modeling of the head is complimented by the stone's natural color, which is luminescent as alabaster and white as a lily. The hollowed out portion at the top of the head was probably meant to hold ritual ingredients, either dried herbs as incense or various liquids. A canal leading from this 'cup' seems to have been intended for drainage. It is easy to imagine this skull being a dramatic and practical part in esoteric rituals long since forgotten, but still alive in the aura of the stone.