Taino Axe

Dated: 1000-1500

Cultural Context: Taino style

Origin: Ponce Cave, Cuba (Central America)

Medium: Diorite

Technique: Chipped, Polished

Dimensions: Height = 12 cm; Width = 19 cm; Maximum thickness = 2.60 cm; Minimum thickness = 1.20 cm

Inventory no.: 03301

Ceremonial axe with a stylised depiction of a face on both sides and small arms curving backwards. It represents a Taino cemi, or deified entity. This piece was found in Ponce Cave, at the tip of Maisi Point (Cuba). It was given to Miguel Rodríguez Ferrer by farmworkers in 1847. This axe and the Bayamo idol, preserved in Havana and excavated by Ferrer, mark the beginnings of archaeology in Cuba.