Maya Carved Shell Pectoral Royal Bloodletting

Pre-Columbian, from Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classical period, ca. 1100. Between 550 and 900 CE. A very rare carving of a bloodletting ceremony on a conch shell. Two figures face each other over a geometric pattern carved into the white shell surface. The figure on the right is larger than the figure on the left, indicating her status as the royal queen. As the queen passes a rope studded with thorns through her tongue, the priest or other attendant watches it unfolds. Many of the ritual objects used by the Maya have been found, including a fully depicted bloodletting scene, which is amazing to find despite being somewhat grisly. Bloodletting was a ritual practice used throughout ancient Mesoamerica – scholars posit that the Olmec and the Maya elite were enthusiasts of the practice. Archaeologists have found obsidian blades, stingray tails, and bone needles, all believed to have been used in this practice, which allowed an individual to experience a heightened state of consciousness and thus communicatess with the gods. High ranking and royal Maya peoples paid a price with their blood to make contact with the supernatural.https://auctiondaily.com/item/maya-carved-shell-pectoral-royal-bloodletting/