Symbolism of Frogs and Toads in Postclassic Mesoamerica

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Animal Symbolism in Postclassic Mesoamerica: Papers in Honor of Cecelia Klein" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Frogs and toads were important animals in Mesoamerica with several species of Mexican frogs. They were especially associated with the rainy season. Some species of frogs are active above ground only in the reproductive period while some species of toads spend part of the year underground. These batrachians are associated to Tlaloc and to the Earth. Both frogs and toads also undergo metamorphosis, an important biological aspect associated with seasonality. Interestingly, frogs or toads are not abundant in the excavations of the Templo Mayor. While gold or sculpted batrachians are more abundant among the Maya and frequent in Mexica sculpture. This paper will study both their context in the archaeological record as well as the ethnohistorical evidence. The symbolism of these amphibians as well as their behaviour will also be evaluated.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Animal Symbolism in Postclassic Mesoamerica: Papers in Honor of Cecelia Klein   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23222