Old Pottery Carving Pre Columbian Mayan Mexican Aztec?

I was drawn to this peice of pottery at an Estate sale I visited this weekend. The owners of the Estate were my neighbors and they both died within a year of each other. My husband was looking over an old roll top desk they were selling and found this in the back of one of the drawers. During their lifetimes they had taken many trips to Mexico and had amassed quite a collection of books about Mexico and Central America which led me to believe that this piece did come from that area. No one in the family had remembered ever seeing it before. As soon as I held it it "spoke to me" and I just had to buy it.

Did I do the right thing? I guess this auction will tell me that. I'm really not sure what this unusual piece is. It appears to be made of a terracotta type reddish clay and then carved. Some research on my part did find that the rattlesnake played an important role in the lives of the early people of Central America, and a really nasty Rattler with big fangs is in the sky above this pair, which led me to believe the scene is Mayan or Aztec.

The piece measures 4" x 4" sides and bottom and 2" across the top and is 1/2" thick. It weighs 1/2 pound and fits perfectly when held in the hand. It has a wonderful patina with the back and sides are worn shiny smooth. The little figure in the bottom right corner is worn a bit, as his features are not as sharp as the warriors on the left. The warrior on the right holds some interesting weapon sticks, which I found similiar depections of on pre columbian gliph images I've found on the net.

I'm not sticking my neck out here and saying this is indeed an achient piece. It certainly does have the look and feel of an old piece, but how old is the question. It could be a piece of old tourist pottery from the 1940s/50s or an actual carving by a precolumbian over 1000 years ago. I've absolutely no way of knowing. With it's patina and smooth wear (most likely caused by oils in the hands of those that held this piece through the years,) I'd feel pretty save in guessing it's at least 50 years old.

It does have a hole in the top, like it was meant to be hung, perhaps as a talesman beseaching the rattlesnake god to protect them? Or maybe it was to be worn by a warrior into battle (it's pretty large and heavy to be worn as a pendant though). Again, I'm just dreaming... Whatever it is, whatever it's past, it's a very interesting piece and one anyone interested in the history of Central America and the Mayan and Aztec civilizations would be happy to have in their collection, I'm sure.

Don't be thrown by the low starting price. Regardless of what I pay for an item I almost always start my auctions out at 9.95 with no reserve. I've never know what price to put on an auction and have discovered through the years that buyers have a way of seeking out the quality items and the market nearly always sets a fair price by auctions end.

Email if you have any questions, and be sure to check my other auctions for books I'll be listing. Shipping costs includes up to 100.00 insurance.