Hachas are a distinctive form associated with art from the Classic Veracruz culture, which flourished along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico between A.D. 300 and 900. In addition to appearing in Veracruz iconography, hachas have been recovered from archaeological excavations, where they were discovered with yokes in elite tombs. Over the course of the Classic period (ca. A.D. 300–900) in Veracruz, artists began to create hachas that were slimmer and blade-like; the term hacha refers to these later iterations.

The ceremonial Hacha may have been used to club sacrificial victims to death, or chop off their heads. The bloodletting was seen as necessary to appease the Gods. The Hachas will often depict animals, humans, and Gods with a bird stylized within, or around their heads. The bird is a demon who needs to be expelled through the spilling of sacred blood. In this classic piece the beak of the bird contains a ball player skull, still wearing his protective chin guard.

- Veracruz Period
- 300-900 AD
- Mesoamerica
- Stone
- From a Private New York Collection

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