Featured in this lot is this beautiful, Huichol beaded lizard circa late 1900s. The Huichol are an Indigenous people from Mexico's Jalisco and Nayarit areas, living in the Sierra Madre Occidental highlands and descended from the ancient Aztecs. They claim to have originated in San Luis Potosi, and radiocarbon dating shows that they have thrived in their original land for over 15,000 years. The 18,000 people who identify themselves as Huichol today are linked to the Hopi of Arizona, who speak an Uto-Aztecan language. The Huichol are the only Indigenous speakers of Wixárika, and they refer to themselves as Wixáritari, or "the people" in their own tongue. Huichol spiritual beliefs are portrayed in their artwork, which often includes images of nature, animals, and ritual paraphernalia. The Huichol's remarkable works incorporate vividly colored beads impressed with wax into animal figures. Carvings, beading, and yarn paintings (nierikas) are manufactured with a beeswax and tree resin glue, with each bead or piece of yarn meticulously impressed into the adhesive before being allowed to harden. This piece shows a clay constructed log and lizard mold with a beeswax and tree resin base on the lizard holding the beads in place. The log is intricately designed showing one section full of bark and the other section clean shaven. The beaded lizard sits on the shaven part of the log and shows bright and vivid colors of orange, red, yellow, light green, dark green, blue, black, purple and light pink. The beads show beautiful and intricate geometric designs throughout. The piece shows good condition overall with slight wear to the clay log but no signs of obvious or major damage is noted. It measures 10 1/4" L x 4 5/16" W x 5 5/8" H and weighs 1 pound and 12 ounces.