Aztec
Mexico
Sculpture of the corn goddess, Chicomecoatl, c. 1400–1521
Stone, pigment
14 9/16 inches
The Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Morton D. May, 291:1978

This sculpture of the Aztec Corn Goddess, Chicomecoatl, wears an elaborate tiered headdress topped by four carved medallions, two each in the front and back, with a cylindrical projection in the center. She holds two pairs of ripe, tasseled cobs of corn in her extended hands. The goddess is carved as a solid block, with large heavy feet resting on a flat base. Corn gods formed an important part of the Mesoamerican pantheon for thousands of years, as corn was one of the staple foods in pre-contact Mexico.