Need Identification of possible Mayan Deity

[jojosparks]

Anyone know anything about what this is. Its on a flute found. Looks Mayan to me. I googled it and came across Ik' K'uh. The wind, god of music. But i couldnt find anything that made a clear Id.

 

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[unclemac]

it helps a lot to know where you got it and how....

 

[joshuaream]

It would help to see the rest of the piece, but what I am seeing is a Teotihuacan adorno (the face) from central Mexico that was built into a tourist souvenir made from modern pottery.

The head could very well be old, they are still very common finds and vendors usually sell them for a a couple dollars a piece, but the rest of the flute is most likely modern. Here are a couple of the more common styles sold in the souvenir shops.

 

[jojosparks]

Ive posted pictures of it before. It was handed down to my dad. It was found in a cave in Mineral Wells Tx. If it is a replica it will almost be an antique reproduction. My father is almost 80 and says he first saw it as a child. He recently gave it to me. I had never noticed the head before or from pics i took years ago.

 

[unclemac]

found in a cave in TX is way wrong for this piece....do you have access to this cave?

 

[jojosparks]

No. I wish I did. This area has been big on history and artifacts and where this cave is you can just tell it wouldve been a perfect for early people.

 

[monsterrack]

I would take it to an expert on these items, you can find one by going to your local museum. Great looking piece

 

[joshuaream]

Ive posted pictures of it before. It was handed down to my dad. It was found in a cave eral Wells Tx. If it is a replica it will almost be an antique reproduction. My father is almost 80 and says he first saw it as a child.

The Teotihuacan site has been popular with tourists since the early 1900's, so maybe someone brought it back? Many Mexican artists (painters, singers, dancers, actors) were popular back then, and there was quite a bit of cultural influence in decoration and design. You can do some research online and see what authentic flutes/whistles from there look like, and you can see hundreds of pictures of tourist items that look like yours.

I would take it to an expert on these items, you can find one by going to your local museum. Great looking piece

Most local museums won't know squat about pre-colombian artifacts or even Native American artifacts. An actual archaeologist at a local university might, but it's a stretch that you'd find someone with any experience on the subject. There are some decent galleries that do identifications and appraisals (Barakat, Sotheby's, Cristie's, etc.) if you a formal opinion.

 

[unclemac]

yours looks kinda nice too, not an ordinary 10 year old chinese mass produced tourist thing....

Cultures of Mesoamerica and Central America | The Field Museum

Meso-American Archaeological Collection at AMNH | Anthropology

either one of these folks can help and I have never been put down or ignored with a question when I send one off to a museum.