Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – For the first time, the public can view a remarkable ancient artifact that has undergone extensive restoration by researchers.
Discovered in 2007 by archaeologist Rosalba Aguilera Muñoz during salvage work in San Francisco Mazapa, Teotihuacan, Mexico, this unique incense burner—known as the “Incense Burner of Life and Death”—was found deliberately broken. The object’s name derives from its skull motifs and its association with funerary rituals at the heritage site.
Credit: MMT
According to Jesús Torres Peralta, head of Museums and Educational Communication at the Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone (ZAT), such artifacts were intentionally “killed” after use: once they had served their purpose, burning copal incense, they were dismantled and buried in layers.
The Conservation and Restoration Department of ZAT has now completed an intricate restoration process. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) is exhibiting the incense burner following this achievement. Restorers meticulously joined around 700 fragments to reconstruct it. Using photographs and excavation plans for reference, they stabilized materials before cleaning each piece, then assembled them like a jigsaw puzzle, using ceramic paste to repair cracks. The final reintegration phase ensured repairs blended seamlessly into the original structure.
Restoration took place between March and October 2025 under Juan Alfonso Cruz’s direction at ZAT’s Restoration Department. Notably, raw clay was used to join components—a technique likely intended for easy disassembly after ritual use.
Teotihuacan – View of the Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Moon. Credit: Ricardo David Sánchez – CC BY-SA 3.0
The incense burner stands 82 centimeters tall and 54 centimeters wide, with a biconical base for holding copal or incense, and is topped by a conical lid with a vertical chimney. Its ceramic inlays create “theater-style” backdrops typical of Teotihuacan art.
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Divided into three sections that may symbolize the underworld, earth, and sky, it features distinctive decorations: a mask painted black near the mouth with white framing part of its face; a butterfly- or talud-tablero-shaped nose ornament adorned with small skulls; two large-eyed owls; butterflies; feather clusters; water droplet symbols; four-petaled flowers as appliqués—and uniquely among known braziers—a central medallion bearing another skull on its headdress.
This significant piece will be on display throughout December 2025 at the Beatriz de la Fuente Museum of Teotihuacan Murals (Ecatepec-Pirámides Highway km 22+600). Visiting hours are Monday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with admission set at 100 pesos.
Source: INAH
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer