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A work made of cast gold.

Filagree Pendant in the Form of a Frog or Toad

500–1000

Coclé Venado Beach, Coclé province, Panama

Venado Beach

Throughout the ancient Americas, the animal world was closely linked to social hierarchies and obligations. In this worldview, frogs were seen as callers of water in connection with the onset of the rainy season, suggesting a ruler’s ultimate responsibility to the community to virtually ensure the continuity of the agricultural cycle.

Cast gold

Arts of the Americas

Latin American