In the mid 90's Christie's said this was a rare find however, they did not do pre-Columbian items at the time. Peabody unofficially said it was a pre-Columbian Fresco approximately the same time. Probably Olmec - The Olmecs were the earliest known major civilization in Mexico following a progressive development in Soconusco. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that the Olmecs derive in part from neighboring Mokaya or Mixe–Zoque. Years ago, I researched this in California and accordingly the Olmec were a nation that trained warriors from birth to go out and capture other tribesmen and used them as slaves or sacrifices. It was rumored that a warrior could run with a captive under his arm all day. The warrior darkened his skin more and more with each captive he took. In this Fresco the captive has a handful of stones/ore that signifies he is resisting his sacrifice. The weapon in the warriors hand appears to be a bow, however it is a devise to capture others successfully without breaking their neck or injuring them. This devise was used to capture them from behind and the bow shape allowed them to control the captive. The captive in the Fresco seems to be ready for sacrifice having been cut in half and the stones/ore signifies his token resistance. There is also some gold in the Fresco dating the item to circa 900. this Fresco has a holographic look to it if you move it on its axis. In my research I found only 2-3 other examples of this type of Fresco. This item is done with a lost process that cannot be duplicated today. Also, the edge has glyph that further date this item and fingerprints can be seen in the top of it.. My estimate is 35,000 E based on its rarity. David Shires 864-541-4308 Owner Mike Smith 864-247-7296 representative

This will be discussed with David at his phone