A butterfly in the headdress and one painted over the face of a jaguar on this sculpture demonstrate that the art and culture of Gulf Coast Veracruz was dominated by central Mexico’s first great civilization, Teotihuacan (150 B.C.-A.D. 700). Butterflies were symbols of dead warriors at Teotihuacan, and one thousand years later the Aztecs believed one part of the soul actually was a butterfly or bird. The jaguar butterfly is a symbol of the night, death and royalty, depending on the context, and resembles fearsome butterflies with jaguar mouths in Teotihuacan art. The staff, kilt and loincloth could represent those of a long-distance merchant trader, but knotted bands on each wrist symbolize ritual bloodletting, and suggest this figure represents a human sacrifice, perhaps chosen to ensure a good trading expedition.
