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'Oldest religious icon in Americas'


This image of a god or goddess with a fanged mouth and clawed feet may
be the oldest religious icon in the Americas.


'Icon'


"Like the cross, the Staff God is a clearly recognisable religious
icon," said Jonathan Haas, MacArthur curator of North American
anthropology at The Field Museum, Chicago.


"This appears to be the oldest identifiable religious icon found in
the Americas.


The icon has been found on many ancient artefacts belonging to several
Andean cultures.