The Mother and Guardian of the underworld – Golden Jagua Sculpture Set is a pair of handcrafted pieces honoring two of the most profound ancestral beings in Taíno cosmology: Atabey, the Mother of Creation, and Maquetaurie Guayaba, The Overlord of the underworld.
Each sculpture is carefully painted in matte jagua-black, inspired by the natural body paint used by the Taíno people, with soft golden undertones that catch the light like sacred reflections of the sun. This balance of black and gold symbolizes the eternal duality of life: creation and dissolution, birth and passage, water and shadow.
This set is made to order—never mass produced.
Every piece is shaped, detailed, and finished individually, allowing us to maintain full presence in the creative process and honor the sacredness behind the imagery. This slow, conscious creation is our way of paying respect to our indigenous Caribbean ancestors, whose stories, spirits, and symbols continue to guide us.
Sculpture Measurements
Atabey (Mother of the Natural World)
•Height: 9.5 cm
•Width: 6 cm
•Thickness: 1.5 cm
Maquetaurie Guayaba (Guardian of the underworld)
•Height: 10 cm
•Width: 6.5 cm
•Thickness: 2 cm
About the Deities
🌊 Atabey — The Mother of Creation
Atabey is revered as the supreme ancestral deity (zemí) of the Taíno people. She embodies the forces of:
•Fresh waters — rivers, rain, lakes
•The earth and its fertility
•The sea and the moon
She is the Mother of the world, believed to have brought forth the first man and woman without male intervention, and the mother of Yúcahu, spirit of agriculture and yuca.
Her nature contains both nurture and destruction, mirroring the natural cycles of life she governs. She is often depicted in ancient petroglyphs in a birthing position, or with symbols of flowing water, representing creation, transformation, and the rhythm of life.
Women would honor Atabey through offerings and rituals, praying for protection, fertility, and safe childbirth.
🦇 Maquetaurie Guayaba — The Guardian of the underworld of the Ancestral Realm
Maquetaurie Guayaba is the overseer of Coaybay, the land of the dead.
His presence is symbolized by the bat, a creature of both darkness and transition.
The Taíno believed that the spirits of the departed — the opías — would gather nightly in Coaybay to feast on guava fruit, which may reflect the origin of his name (as guayaba is Spanish for guava). He is deeply connected to the balance between life and death, memory and continuation.
He is also associated with Opiyelguabirán, the dog-shaped zemí who watches over the souls of the dead.
In modern art and cultural revival, Maquetaurie Guayaba represents the strength and mystery of the Taíno spirit world and the honoring of ancestral heritage.