One of two such figures excavated from the "House of the Eagles" in Mexico City, this sculpture, featured in The Field Museum's exhibition The Aztec World, is a masterpiece of large-scale Aztec ceramic construction. When first excavated, archaeologists interpreted it as an "eagle warrior" or member of an elite military corps. Some scholars, however, think the sculpture may represent the soul of a dead warrior, one of many "spirit warriors" who accompanied the sun on its daily journey through the morning sky. Other scholars hypothesize that this figure is a personification of the rising sun, featuring both human and eagle attributes.

Original price: $7.95