Bead in the form of the head of a rattlesnake,

ca. 1450 CE

Serpents were popular icons for personal adornment among nobles. This outstanding example has been drilled with holes at the rear possibly for attachment to a head band, or some other form of ritual dress. Spondylous is a genus of bivalve mollusks more commonly known as Thorny Oysters. They are grouped in the superfamily as scallops, but like true oysters they cement themselves to rocks just below the water surface. The shells were harvested by coastal villagers who were careful to maintain the beds throughout the year for exchange in limited quantities to traders who cruised the waters off the Pacific Coast from Ecuador to West Mexico in large sailing rafts especially adapted for the long distance collection and transport of such precious cargo. The shell’s spectrum of colors was prized by nearly all ancient American Indian peoples. In this case the artisan was careful to shape, abrade, and polish the piece in such a way as to use the creamy hue of the shell’s interior layer for highlights while the details are defined in the rich orange to red of the exterior surface for which Spondylous is famous.