Aztec Duality Life & Death Mask Golden Obsidian Pendant and Necklace, Ancient Mexico #38

The duality masks of life and death, often featuring one side as a living face and the other as a skull, originate from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures, particularly the Zapotec civilization in Oaxaca and the Tlatilco culture in Mexico, dating back to 600–900 A.D.. They symbolize the indigenous worldview that life and death are balanced, inseparable, and essential aspects of a single cosmic existence.