Ixtlán del Rio hollow figure standing male warrior
Ceramic seated human figure
Grooved and polished obsidian labret or lip plug / Mesoamerican
Essay/Description
Sometimes called a lip plug or labret, these objects were worn through the lower lip. This example presents a sharp conical point. The sharp labret may reger to blood-letting ritual that was part of Mesoamerican ritual.
Often they were inset with turquoise, pyrite or other material. They were made by grinding and polishing a single flawless piece of obsidian into this form. Labrets would have been worn by high status individuals.