Coatlicue Statue

The massive basalt statue represents Coatlicue, the Aztec earth-mother goddess who gave birth to the moon and stars. She is depicted in a fearsome manner, symbolizing the dual nature of the earth as both a creator of life and a consumer of the dead.

The most striking feature of the statue is her skirt, which is intricately carved from stone to look like interwoven rattlesnakes. Her name actually translates to "Serpent Skirt" in the Nahuatl language, and her outfit also features a necklace of human hearts and hands.

The statue was unearthed in 1790 in the main plaza of Mexico City, right in the Zócalo. Because it was deemed too terrifying by the Spanish, it was initially reburied before being permanently displayed at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Instead of a human head, the statue features two opposing rattlesnake heads emerging from her severed neck. Scholars believe these snake heads symbolize spurting blood, or they may represent the concept of duality, which was central to Aztec mythology.