This is most likely a representation of a belt worn by a ball court player. You didn’t want to lose these games, trust me.
Having recently had the pleasure to study a history oft untouched by the general public, Mesoamerican and Andean art history, never did I suppose I would have the opportunity to apply that recently acquired knowledge in a tangible way. Within the hustle and bustle about the day, I had forgotten the full itinerary. It is safe to say that when I walked into the door of the Pre-Columbian Museum, backed by two friendly native perros, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, by the time I had reached the Chile Before Chile section, I was in “full geek out mode.” But, I knew the fun was just beginning, and I made my way up to the second floor, past the absolutely stellar infographics of the Pre-Columbian cultures geographies and timelines. This floor would hold objects that I was keenly familiar with, ones I had my former professor give me personal recommendations to search for about the complex. I was like a kid in a candy store (this often happens with art museums) hunting for Nazca head pots, Taíno stone semis, and an incense burner from Teotihuacan. Along the way too, I noticed how well the museum was laid out, shifting from one culture to the other without disrupting the flow of the space, and how natural light was successfully utilized throughout the building, even in the basement. When the dust had settled, I had walked away with over 50 pictures of artifacts, and a memory of a field experience like no other!