Huaxtec female Deity at The British Museum, London

This is one of three other female Huaxtec deities currently on display at The British Museum in London. The female figures share similar characteristics, such as a rigid posture, hands over their stomachs, bare breasts, and usually wear a skirt and large headdress. The headdress is generally composed of a rectangular section with a conical cap on top and a fan-shaped crest, as shown on this sculpture. These female deities are related to Tlazolteotl, an earth goddess also associated with filth and carnal sin. Her name comes from tlazolli, which means 'filth' in Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica (Aztecs), and teotl, a broad term for 'deity'. She was venerated by the Mexica, who conquered the Gulf Coast in the fifteenth century, during the reign of Motecuhzoma I (1440-69). The Mexica king consecrated a new extension of the Templo Mayor (Great Temple) with a ceremony in which a large number of Huastec captives were sacrificed in honour of Xipe Totec, the god of fertility. Several gods revered by the Mexica were worshipped earlier in the Gulf Coast and other areas, and were added to the Mexica pantheon. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.本展品为目前陈列于伦敦大英博物馆的三位华斯特克（Huaxtec）女性神祇之一。这类女性神祇形象具有诸多共性：姿态挺拔庄重，双手置于腹部，裸露双乳，通常身着裙装并头戴大型头饰。该头饰通常由带顶部锥形帽的矩形基座与扇形冠饰组成，本件雕塑便呈现了这一结构。 这类女性神祇与特拉佐尔特奥特尔（Tlazolteotl）存在关联，后者是一位同时与污秽及肉欲之罪相关的大地女神。其名称源于纳瓦特尔语（Nahuatl，墨西卡人——即阿兹特克人——的语言）中的两个词根：tlazolli意为“污秽”，teotl则是指代“神祇”的宽泛称谓。在蒙特苏马一世（Motecuhzoma I，1440-1469年在位）统治时期，征服海湾沿岸地区的墨西卡人对其极为尊崇。 这位墨西卡国王曾为大神庙（Templo Mayor）的新扩建区域举行祝圣仪式，仪式上以大量华斯特克战俘作为献祭，以致敬生育之神希佩·托特克（Xipe Totec）。诸多受墨西卡人尊崇的神祇，最早于海湾沿岸及其他地区被供奉，之后被纳入墨西卡神系。 本展品隶属于「全球扫描计划（Scan The World）」项目。该项目为由MyMiniFactory发起的非营利性公益计划，旨在搭建全球范围内可完全3D打印的雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑的数字档案库，供公众免费获取。「全球扫描计划」是一项开源的社区共建项目，若您身边有感兴趣的藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。