About the Artwork
This Palma is a replica in stone of a piece of palm worn as protective gear around the waist of the players in a ritual ball game played between two teams representing the dualistic cosmic forces of the universe. The captain of the losing team was killed as a sacrifice to placate the gods and to assure the continuing fertility of the land. Here a monkey-headed god stands on the chest of a sacrificial victim. Behind him are stalks of corn, the staple food of ancient Mexico.
Palma with Maize God Receiving a Human Sacrifice
between 250 and 950
----------
----------
Precolumbian
Veracruz
Basalt
Overall: 19 1/8 × 8 1/2 × 4 1/2 inches (48.6 × 21.6 × 11.4 cm)
Sculpture
Indigenous Americas
City of Detroit Purchase
47.180
Copyright Not Evaluated
Markings
Please note: This section is empty
Provenance
1947-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
Please note: This section is empty
The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Bulletin of the DIA 29, no. 3 (1949-50): 56-58, (ill. p. 57).
100 Masterworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1985, pp. 84-85 (ill.).
Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.
Suggest FeedbackCatalogue Raisoneé
Please note: This section is empty
Credit Line for Reproduction
Veracruz, Precolumbian, Palma with Maize God Receiving a Human Sacrifice, between 250 and 950, basalt. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 47.180.
Feedback
We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction or improvement.
Suggest Feedback![Palma with Maize God Receiving a Human Sacrifice](https://dia.widen.net/content/f0e00ua0pt/webp/47.180-D1.webp?quality=100)
![Palma with Maize God Receiving a Human Sacrifice](https://dia.widen.net/content/f0e00ua0pt/webp/47.180-D1.webp?w=500&quality=75)