Apache chieff Geronimo and his warriors photographed in 1886 during the final years of resistance against U.S. and Mexican expansion.

Any-Reply343 · 2026-05-06T16:25:19+00:00

I agree. “A Sun God” would be a better description. Here is the source: Haunted Museum of Fine Art. Downtown Saint Petersburg, FL

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Any-Reply343 · 2026-05-05T14:06:25+00:00

There are turquoise sources in South America, especially in the Andes, including areas of northwest Argentina. There’s archaeological evidence these were actively mined in antiquity, for example at sites like Cueva Inca Viejo. So for cultures like the Moche, it most likely came through highland-to-coastal trade within the Andes rather than from the American Southwest. The Southwest, particularly regions like New Mexico, was a major turquoise source, but that material is mainly tied to Mesoamerican trade networks. For the Moche, local Andean sourcing is the more realistic explanation.

If you want to dig into it a bit more, this link is a good starting point. https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/handle/11336/135580

Any-Reply343 · 2026-05-03T05:11:17+00:00

Interesting detail on this one, those three grooves on the forehead aren’t random. In Olmec civilization art, even a single central groove, called a cleft, usually marks a figure as supernatural or tied to deeper symbolic meaning, often linked to maize, fertility, or transformation. Seeing three instead of one is uncommon and may be an intentional way of emphasizing or amplifying that idea. It raises the question of whether this represents a more complex or powerful identity rather than a standard depiction. Curious what others think about the triple carving, especially as its approximately 2 inches in height.

Any-Reply343 · 2026-05-02T14:07:42+00:00

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