Did you know that the priests of Mictlantecuhtli had their hair tangled up to look like the beings from the underworld?
In an archeological context, there has been found only one temple that worshipped Mictlantecuhtli, and that is the “Templo de las Calaveras”. It was found in 2013 while excavating the archaeological zone of Tehuacán El Viejo, in the state of Puebla. This temple stands out because it has ornaments made of human skulls embedded on its sidewalls, as well as images of this deity where the shrine once stood, making it one of a kind.
In the iconographic reference, we have several pre-Hispanic and colonial codices where they present the priests of Mictlantecuhtli offering large quantities of blood or performing the self-sacrifice.
Alternatively, in the tonalamatl books such as the codex Cospi, a priest of Mictlantecuhtli is shown offering copal and blood from his ears to a temple dedicated to the deities of the night.
Based on these somewhat limited references, we took some “liberties” to represent this WIP of a priest of Mictlantecuhtli. He stands out for his “dirty” look, possibly due to the arduous religious rites associated with human sacrifice, with his tangled up hair in honor of his tutelary deity, and with a feather ornament that holds his long dreadlocks, as well as a clay container, where human hearts were collected.
As a final touch, in a more fantastic twist, he carries a scepter with a human skull, emphasizing his relationship with the fearsome god of death.
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