MICTLÁN - OBSIDIAN SKULL
IN BLACK & RED OBSIDIAN

by David Mendez Sánchez - K’IMĀ, Mexico
Artisan: Mario Sandoval

SIZE H: 16 x L: 28 x W: 26 // H: 6.3” x 11” x 10.23” / (life size piece)

SOLID 17kg / 37,5 lbs (!) - life size skull / calavera, in jet-black OBSIDIAN.
A remarkably detailed work of art and exceptional craft in carving, realised by Mario Sandoval, a distinctive Obsidian artisan and carver.

Mictlán celebrates the ephemeral aspects of life, it reminds us that our time here is not eternal. Mexicans have always celebrated life and death, in a way that death does not mean the end, it is just a transmutation.

In Aztek mythology, Mictlán, is the Place of the Dead, where Mictlantecuthli, the Lord of Death, reigns. All the souls that had died naturally came to him. Those who went to this place lived in a similar way as they had done on earth so that they could continue to learn and nourish their sou

The Obsidian is a volcanic glass stone with a hardness of 5 to 5,5. It has been used in ancient Mexico to make knives and mirrors. Looking into Obsidian mirrors showed the reflections of human faces. The Aztecs believed this were the god-like experiences of looking into the past, present and future. Obsidian bears powerful properties for strength, health and wellbeing. It has potent energies, as it bears the elements of fire, water, and earth.