Mexico, Veracruz?, 600-950 AD / 600–950
Stela Fragment
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Stela Fragment as sculpture (Mexico, Veracruz?, 600-950 AD · 600–950).
The pointed teeth of the warrior are suggestive of dental modification, a practice known to have occurred from human remains.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as limestone.
The museum's collection notes: Figures appear on two sides of this fragmentary stela (upright stone slab carved in relief). One seems to represent a grimacing warrior who brandishes a club; arrow-like darts festoon his belt and hair. On the other side is a skeleton with one fleshed hand, perhaps a sacrificed captive. The eagle with a leaf in its mouth is a hieroglyph that may identify the captive's name.
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The Cleveland Museum of ArtStela FragmentOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.