America
Ah Kin
The name of the priest in Mayan Mexico who made ritual sacrifices and offered human hearts to the gods.
Alaskan Totem Pole
Bird and animal heads represent the ancestors of the indigenous tribes of Alaska.
Alligator
Revered as a god because it can live on both land and sea, say the Creek tribe from the southeastern United States.
Andean Shaman Mask
From the Inca past of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, to help shamans enter into a spiritual state.
Apache Charm Pendant
Contains Apache animal symbols, prayer fetishes, and a talking stick. From the southwestern United States.
Apache Rattle
Used in drum circles and ceremonial dances in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Arctic Owl
Often associated with ghosts, supposedly a messenger from the grave, it is found mainly in the Arctic.
Aztec Funerary Statue
Buried along with the dead as an offering to Xiuhtecuhtli and other gods in the Aztec pantheon of Mexico.
Bacoo
A small malignant spirit of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, but will bring good luck if it gets treats.
Bird-Man
A messenger who flew from the Upperworld to Earth, according to southeastern American legends.
Brazilian Ritual Mask
From Tupe Village, Brazil, and made from the scales of various fish from the Amazon River.
Calima Figurine
Archeologists are still puzzled about the weird headgear. Maybe the wearers are alien visitors to Colombia.
Calumet
A sacred pipe used in ceremonies. Tribal groups make smoke offerings in many parts of North America.
Celestial Jaguars
Legendary animals with evil reputations, banished from heaven, according to the Guarani tribe of Paraguay.
Chacmool
The Ancient Mexican carving held a bowl of sacrificial offerings that often included a human heart.
Ches
An ancient god of the Andes who ruled over Venezuela. Bats helped him talk with the dead.
Christ the Redeemer
The huge statue of Jesus Christ towers over the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Cristo Negro
AKA the Black Christ, a popular Christian symbol in Guatemala, Panama, and Mexico.
Darth Vader
A fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Originally from Tatooine, an alien planet based in California.
Death Tango
A dance celebrated by ghosts in the cemeteries of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the tango was created.
Feather Dancer
A tradition in Native American rituals. Once banned, now a cultural event of the Great Plains, especially in Oklahoma.
Fetish Bird
A mythical creature that flew from earth to heaven, mostly seen over the southwestern United States.
Gourds
Carved and placed on burial grounds as gifts by tribes of the southwestern United States.
Hemipenis Goddess
Her headdress has a rattlesnake's hemipenis on top, symbolizing power and fertility in ancient Mexico.
Ijiraq
A shapeshifter of the Inuit, it changes easily from raven to seal, and is found on Baffin Island in Canada.
Inti
The ancient sun god of the Incas of Peru, his face is a gold disk from which rays shine.
Inuit Spirit Mask
Made of driftwood, from the Arctic area that includes Canada, Alaska, and Greenland.
Jaguar God
The incense burner is of a man wearing a mask representing Mexico's powerful jaguar god.
Jaguar Mask
Shows a Bolivian shaman in a state of transformation, in which a jaguar is taking shape on his forehead.
Jaguar Shaman Mask
The jaguar is a sacred animal in Central American countries like Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Jaina Island Figurine
One of the thousands of figurines buried with the dead on Jaina Island, Mexico. The facial scars indicate a god.
Jalisco Tomb Figurine
The shaft-tomb figurine is from Mexico. Over 2,000 years old, it was probably put there to protect the dead.
Kachina
Is a spirit being who teaches traditional beliefs to the Pueblo children of the southwestern United States.
Kokopelli
The humpbacked flute player is a fertility symbol revered by the Hopi and other tribes of the United States.
Litjoko Doll
A tribal fetish made by the Karajá women of Brazil's Bananal Island (the world's largest river island).
Mayan Death Mask
The death mask of a Mayan king in Mexico was embellished with gold and turquoise.
Medicine Man
A spiritual healer who carries sacred items and wears a mask. He is revered all over Native North America.
Mezcala Stone Carving
The Mezcala Civilization of Mexico is some 2,000 years old and is renowned for its stone sculptures.
Moche Couple
Fertility figures from the Moche civilization that flourished some 2000 years ago in Peru.
Monster Slayer
An ancient carved figure found on a cliff in the American Southwest, he is possibly a Navajo deity.
Nayarit Statue
The mysterious statues from Mexico were placed in burial chambers connected to the earth by a vertical shaft.
Ogii
Belongs to the Ndyuka, an ancient South American religion based in Suriname and French Guiana.
Ojibwe Dreamcatcher
Traps bad dreams from sleeping children and originates from Canada and northeastern U.S.
Olmec Head
The colossal basalt heads were forgotten for nearly 3,000 years until their rediscovery in Mexico.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
She first appeared to Juan Diego at the Hill of Tepeyac in Mexico, and miracles occurred not long afterward.
Our Lady of Holy Death
Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte has the form of a female skeleton, revered in Mexico.
Pope Francis
Born in Argentina, he is the head of the Catholic Church, and lives in the Vatican, Italy.
Potopillo Crucifix
Woven (a tradition going back hundreds of years) from the sacaton grass of Mexico.
Quetzalcoatl
The Feathered Serpent was a prominent deity of the Mexican Aztecs and one of the few gods who could fly.
Quimbaya Funerary Offerings
Belong to a mysterious Precolumbian civilization, long vanished but that once thrived in Colombia.
Rain Stick
Shaken to pray for rain by the Mapuche people of the world's driest desert, the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Rosemary's Baby
Made famous in the horror novel by Ira Levin. Both film and book are set in the city of New York.
Saint Lazarus
Known as Lazarus in the New Testament, he is now a part of the Santeria religion of Cuba.
Shaman Petrograph
About 12,000 years old and probably a sacred figure, he is carved on a rock wall in Utah, the United States.
Shaman Whistle
A whistle once used during human sacrificial rituals in Mexico and Central America.
Shrunken Head
The Shuar are headshrinkers of the Amazon. They live in the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru.
Spirit Bird of Tucuman
Found on rock carvings in Argentina. It was a totem creature of the pre-Inca Cachaqui tribe.
Tairona Funerary Mask
Was placed over the face of a corpse. From the ancient Tairona civilization of Colombia.
Tambor de Mina Drum
A drum used in the religion of the Brazilian coast and Amazon Basin, South America.
Tcha Tcha
The Tcha Tcha is part of the Santeria religion in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean.
Teotl
The great and mysterious Teotl (which means "god") was the most powerful of the many gods of the Mexican Aztecs.
Teponaztli
An Aztec drum in the form of a banished god. Comes from Guatemala, Central America.
Thunderbird
Winged, with magical powers, it is is a legendary creature found throughout North-American Indian culture.
Tlatilco Figurine
The two heads of the ancient Mexican Tlatilco figurine might have given magical powers to the owner.
Tlazolteotl
The Aztec goddess of birth in Ancient Mexico is shown with her baby's head emerging from between her thighs.
Tolima Shaman
An ancient protective charm from Colombia, made of gold, in the shape of an animal.
Totem Mask
Lets the shaman enter a trance. Revered by Pueblo Indians of the southwest United States.
Uru Animal Heads
Placed as protection on the prow of reed boats of Lake Titicaca, bordering Peru and Bolivia.
Vejigante
First seen in Medieval Spain, they now appear in fetes as fun figures on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.
Viracocha
A god in the Inca mythology of Bolivia and Peru. The hands hold thunderbolts and the tears fall as rain.
Voodoo Doll
An effigy that can carry both good and bad luck, it is often seen at night in Haiti and Louisiana.
Yei
A spirit mediator who talks to the Great Spirit and the Navajo of the southwestern United States.
Zapotec Funerary Urn
The ashes of the Zapotec people of Ancient Mexico were placed in an urn hidden behind a figurine.
Zombie
Revived from the dead to function as humans, many are from the Caribbean island of Haiti.