This is an exquisitely carved duck amulet from the Mixtec culture of ancient Mexico. It is carved from green stone and measures about 1 3/4" in length.
The Mixtec culture was a pre-Columbian archaeological culture. They called themselves Ñuu savi (a name that their descendants still preserve), which means "people or nation of the rain". It had its first manifestations in the Mesoamerican Middle Pre-Classic period (12th century BC – 10th century BC) and ended with the Spanish conquest in the first decades of the 16th century. The historical territory of this culture is the area known as La Mixteca, a mountainous region located between the current Mexican states of Puebla, Oaxaca, and Guerrero.
Strung with modern Burmese jade, with gold plated and gold filled beads. Length: 18.5"