serpent head
Teotihuacan,
Ca. 100 to 500 A.D., Jade,
Length: 2 inches.

Probably part of a pectoral decoration, this head is carved in the form of a fanged serpent, with crests around the eyes, indicating feathers, the attribute of Quetzlecoatle, the Feathered Serpent. Parallels for this often are in the form of a long cylinder with one head on one ened, or two heads, one on each end.  In this example, the head terminates a the base of the neck, and it appears to have been carved that way originally.  A hole in the bottom of the jaw may have been for attachment to the rest of the pectoral ornament.  While small, this piece has all the fierceness of the larger serpent heads that decorate the famous Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan.