A portal to the underworld. A 3,000-year-old "door to hell" dedicated to an Aztec god has been returned to Mexico
The mystery of the ancient 3000-year-old "doors to hell", dedicated to the god of the Aztecs, finally solved. This was done after the stolen artifact returned to Mexico after 64 years of searching.
The door to hell is referred to as the Mexican antiquity called the Olmec Cave Mask. It was stolen in the early 1960s, The Sun writes.
The mysterious mask is dedicated to the Aztec god.
Source: Manhattan District Attorney's Office
The 2,000-pound artifact, which is nearly 3,000 years old, depicts the jaguar god Tepeyollotlikuhti with large oval eyes, dilated nostrils and an open mouth. The Olmecs considered jaguars to be sacred animals and believed they were descended from them. Many depictions and sculptures of this animal made by the Olmecs have survived to this day.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. emphasized that the mask is "extremely rare" and was created as far back as 800 B.C. in Mexico. "Embodying the passage to the netherworld, the enormous Olmec cave mask guarded the entrance to a ceremonial cave at the archaeological site of Chalcatsingo, Mexico. This incredible ancient work is a rare window into the past of Olmec society," Bragg added.
Experts restore the mask after it was destroyed.
Source: U.S. National Institute of Anthropology and History
The district attorney said the mask's thieves broke it into pieces to make it easier to smuggle. And for nearly 60 years, it was sent to various museums and private collections across the United States. Documents also revealed that the mask was recently sold to a private collector before it was seized again.
"The cave mask may finally return to the rest of the associated monuments," summarized Alvin Bragg.
Since the Olmec civilization was one of the most influential ancient civilizations of early America, its works of art are considered some of the most striking works of art in the United States.
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