The Cosmic Duality
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Duality is one of the oldest philosophical concepts in Mesoamerican art. Hints of it may have appeared in two-headed figurines during the Formative Period. These two ceramic sculptures are examples of the style. Others fuse two faces with a shared third eye in between. What they represent is not altogether clear; when compared to contemporary works, however, their two heads may suggest an otherworldly aspect of Duality.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
Belief in Duality may be as old as Mesoamerican civilization itself. This smooth ceramic face is around three thousand years old. It is split into the flesh of life and skull of death, to encompass both in a single expression. The Duality consists of opposite aspects that in fact can only exist by the presence of the other. Life and death were believed to belong in such a double nature.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
Though its parts are two, the Duality itself is one. This understanding brought about the search from two aspects to a greater whole - as Mesoamerican sages and mystics sought to comprehend their universe. This massive stone stele is from Teotihuacan. The skull of death contains a living tongue and is surrounded by a pleated rim that anthropologists have recently proposed to represent sunlight.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
Nicknamed the "Priest of Naranjo," this stone sculpture carries many of the motifs associated with Huaxtec sculpture: the conical headpiece, the whorled design on the tunic, and the hook-shaped epcololli earrings. At the base of the headpiece is a small skull. Directly beneath the tunic rests a small egg-shaped object speculated to represent the ehatal soul, one of the body's vital faculties. Symbols of life and death appear simultaneously on this hieratic figure.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
Although the Aztec piece has worn considerably, the outline of a man and a woman embracing each other's shoulders is clear. In Nahuatl, the Duality was called Omeyotl - ome meaning 'two.' The Aztecs' highest divinity were the god Ometecuhtli and the goddess Omecihuatl, who together paired as the Ometeotl, or Dual Spirit. Some anthropologists have suggested that the Ometeotl is portrayed in this piece.
National Museum of Anthropology and History
