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AZTEC WARRIOR

The skull and mask are decorated in the style of the Aztec jaguar warriors that Hernando Cortés encountered when he conquered the Aztec empire between 1519 and 1521. These warriors were skilled with their weapons, dressed in jaguar skins, and were among the elite warriors.

The only way a warrior could get among the jaguars was by capturing an enemy who was then ritually sacrificed to the gods. If he did this four times in a row, he could become a jaguar. The exposed skull has a fracture across both jaws, indicating a very serious battle wound.