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Architectural Element in the Form of a Serpent's Head

Culture Zapotec
Title Architectural Element in the Form of a Serpent's Head
Date 400–600
Medium Stone
Dimensions Object: 5 3/4 × 13 1/8 × 3 3/8 in. (14.6 × 33.3 × 8.6 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 9 1/2 × 13 1/8 × 5 in. (24.1 × 33.3 × 12.7 cm)
Credit Line Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Henry R. Hope, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 72.41

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About this Work

Zapotec culture, with its most important political and ceremonial center at Monte Albán, was the major power in Oaxaca during the Late Formative and Classic periods. We do not know where in Oaxaca this serpent-head was originally located, but the tenon at one end indicates that it was likely anchored in a facade or stairway.

Serpents within Mesoamerican art are important and quite common, as they are often associated with new birth, transformation, and the ability to move through the different parts of the universe.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Architectural Element in the Form of a Serpent's Head | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=72.41