In Ancient Costa Rica, jade talismans were worn
as symbols of rank as well as protective amulets
against evil. This unusual cross-legged figure
depicts a human with a monkey head, which may
represent a God or a magic man in monkey
guise. The magic meaning of such a token has
been forgotten with time, though we feel its
power still. As we hold it in our hands today, we
can imagine the ancient chief around whose neck
it once hung. Across the ages, we are intimately
connected with a vanished world and with other
lives.
- (PF.2178)
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