Upper part of a skepter made from a human elbow in the shape of a jaguar claw.
Culture Chavin, Peru, 1200 BC – 200 BC.
The claw was carved from the elbow bone of a human being, its shape was modified and inlaid with pieces of turquoise. Its lower end was decorated with a relief depicting a two-headed snake that Andean civilizations related to the power of the elites and the celestial sphere.
This motif decorated objects associated with individuals of high rank, thus associating them with the powers of this mighty creature. Jaguar imagery symbolized power throughout the pre-Columbian world. The bicephalic serpent or dragon was a signifier of high rank in various pre-Columbian world views. These two-headed beasts were regarded as sky bands that arched over the earth or surrounded the seas serving as a passageway for the planets and stars of the celestial realm.
(Nation Museum, Lima, Peru)
