Hunchback (Translation)
Jorobado (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Physical deformities, particularly those resulting from disease or birth defects, were believed to be signs of the affected person’s direct contact with the supernatural world. Individuals with features such as this figure’s hunchback were frequently treated as social outcasts, but they were also accorded a degree of respect. Their brush with the supernatural and subsequent survival invested them with a certain degree of power, and many became powerful shamans.
Late Formative
Gift from Dr. and Mrs. Simon Russi in memory of their parents
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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