The Metropolitan Museum of Art is reopening,…
How the Met Was Made – The New York Times
Photo of museum artifact and description:
Three-Pointed Zemís (Trigonolitos) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC exhibit
10th-16th century
Taíno, Puerto Rico
Stone
From:
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Museum Description or Artifact:
Sculptures known as three-pointed stones, or trigonolitos, had a symbolic connection to yuca (or cassava), a staple root crop. Appearing in various sizes and featuring humanlike an animal-like zemí imagery, they may have served as tangible representations of the mountainous island landscape and may have held some elusive spiritual significance. They are found mostly in the Greater Antilles, but some examples come from as far south as the islands of the Grenadines.