Crocodile Pendant
Crocodile Pendant
1000-1550
Cast gold, modern greenstone
Overall: 6.5 x 5.5 x 4.4 cm (2 9/16 x 2 3/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener 1990.160
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Fun Fact
The greenstone replaced a piece of carved whale bone that was once improperly paired with the pendant.
Description
Of great importance in ancient Panama were beings that combined crocodile features, especially the mouth, with lizard traits, such as the iguana’s head crest. This example also has a back-swept nose, perhaps that of the leaf-nosed bat. The greenstone is a modern replacement for a stone or shell that once completed the crocodile’s body.
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