Post-Classical Period, 8th-12th century AD. A warrior's head in amethyst with a bird of prey headdress (condor), the bird of prey characterised by a pupil rendered with an engraved dot, the beak curved in the upper part, the plumage engraved on the eyes and in the upper part; a human face with elongated eyes to the inside, a slightly curved nose, a mouth with parted lips and a protruding upper lip, large discoidal earrings. See Instituto Geologico de M?xico, Catalogo Geográfico de las especies minerales de M?xico, Boletin 41, M?xico, 1923; Mirambell, L.E., Tecnicas Lapidarias Prehispanica, M?xico, 1968; Wise, T., The Conquistadores, London, 1980; Ward, F., Jade Gem, Boock Publishers, EUA, 1996; Ridinger, M.L., ‘El Jade’ in Arqueologia Mexicana vol. V, No 27 Septiembre-Octubre, pp.52-59, M?xico, 1997; Mirambell, L.E., Materiales Arqueologicos y material prima’, in Serie Arqueologia INAH, M?xico, 2005; Langenscheidt, A., ‘Los Abrasivos en Mesoam?rica’, Arqueologia Mexicana vol. XIV, no.80 Julio-Agosto, M?xico, 2006, pp.55-60.889 grams, 15.5cm (6"). Property of an Italian collector living in Torino; part of her family's collection since 1965; by descent from her grandmother in 1993; accompanied by a copy of the Italian export permit and a signed academic opinion by Emilio J. Bejarano Erosa (Director of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico, 1968-1982); also accompanied by a scholarly note by Dr Ronald Bonewitz; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10274-168422. The instability of the period between 700-900 AD, caused by excessive warfare, drought, plague and climate change, caused most of the important Mayan cities in the south and central regions of the Mayan civilisation to go silent, their cities abandoned. The Mayan warrior culture was a hierarchical one, with elements of military costume, such as the item here, serving to assign 'rank' and a sense of belonging.