In ancient Mexico, hunchbacks were thought to
be blessed by the Gods, and were treated with
great respect. They appear frequently in tomb
art, usually in the context of magic and ritual.
This individual's deformities--the curve of his
back and the thinness of his limbs--are
exaggerated with expressionistic power. In his
mouth, he holds an odd object. It has been
suggested that this represents the bubble of life,
the last breath of the dying. More likely however,
it is the hallucinagenic peyote bud, used to
induce trances and communicate with the spirit
world. Lost in his dreams, he stares at visions
unseen by the rest of us, he is oblivious to the
passage of time.
- (PF.1425)
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