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| Mayan
Tablet of The Slaves Wall Relief from Palenque |
|
 Size: 12.5"H x 8"W x 1"D |
Mayan Tablet of The Slaves Wall Relief from Palenque
Item Name: Mayan Tablet of The Slaves Wall Relief from Palenque
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| King
Pacal Head Statue on Ceremonial Base |
|
 Size: 11 x 4 x 4.25 |
King Pacal (also known as Pacal the Great) was born in
the year 603 A.D. He was king of the Maya kingdom of Palenque and is
said to have reigned for 67 years until his death at the age of 80.
The name "Pacal" means "shield" in the Maya
language. Pacal expanded Palenque's power in the western part of the
May states, and initiated a building program at his capital that
produced some of the finest art and architecture of the Maya
civilization. He was preceded as ruler of Palenque by his mother
Lady Zac-Kuk As the Palenque dynasty seems to have had Queens only
when there was no eligible male heir. Zac-Kuk transferred ruler ship
to her son upon his official maturity. He ascended the throne at age
12 on 29 July, 615 A.D. After his death, Pacal the Great was
worshiped as a God, and said to communicate with his descendants.
His elaborate temple tomb had a stairway down to his crypt, and
after this was sealed up it had a long "speaking tube"
connected to the temple atop the stop-pyramid. The lid of Pacal's
tomb, referred to by some as the lid of Palenque, is the most
photographed, reproduced and written about stonework of its kind.
Item Name: King Pacal Mayan Coronation Scene Wall Relief Item Name: King Pacal Head Statue on Ceremonial Base
|
| Large
Maya vision serpent - color detailed |
|
 Size: 19.5"H (49.5cm) |
Yaxchilan, Mexico. 755 A.D. The maya vision serpent symbolizes the passage of ancestral spirits and the gods of Xibalba (the maya underworld) into our world. In states of ecstasy and usually following penis or tongue bloodletting, particularly as graphically depicted at Yaxchilan, maya mobility invoke the vision serpent. During special ceremonies, bloody papers were burnt in a sacred bowl and from it, this great undulating serpent rises and from its mouth emerges an ancestor or, occasionally, a deity. The serpent itself then, is probably what one sees in the clouds of smoke rising from the burning sacrifice, and cloud symbols may flank the vision serpent’s body. The vision serpent can be the vehicle by which ancestors or deities make themselves manifest to humanity. This sculpture depicts a version with a single head and personified blood scrolls attached to its tail. Item Name: Large Maya vision serpent - color detailed
|
| Large
Maya vision serpent |
|
 Size: 19.5"H (49.5cm) |
Yaxchilan, Mexico. 755 A.D. The maya vision serpent symbolizes the passage of ancestral spirits and the gods of Xibalba (the maya underworld) into our world. In states of ecstasy and usually following penis or tongue bloodletting, particularly as graphically depicted at Yaxchilan, maya mobility invoke the vision serpent. During special ceremonies, bloody papers were burnt in a sacred bowl and from it, this great undulating serpent rises and from its mouth emerges an ancestor or, occasionally, a deity. The serpent itself then, is probably what one sees in the clouds of smoke rising from the burning sacrifice, and cloud symbols may flank the vision serpent’s body. The vision serpent can be the vehicle by which ancestors or deities make themselves manifest to humanity. This sculpture depicts a version with a single head and personified blood scrolls attached to its tail. Item Name: Large Maya vision serpent
|
| Maya
ball player |
|
 Size: 12"H (30cm) |
Palenque, Mexico 590 A.D. Surrounded by hieroglyphs, an ancient ball player demonstrates his skill and strength. The player's ability to manipulate and move the ball into stone rings, without the use of hands, was played to honor the gods with skill. The ball game represented the movements of the heavens for many pre-Hispanic peoples and, for the Maya, the game (called Ulama) had a religious significance. The ballplayer's solar headdress identifies him as one of the Hero Twins from the Maya epic Popol Vuh. It is generally believed that there were probably two version of the ball game. One was played as a sport, and probably had some betting involved. The other version was a religious re-enactment of the story of the Hero Twins in the Popol Vuh. In this case, there were probably only 2 players and the winner and looser were pre-determined. The looser was probably a captive, or a criminal. He would have been in terrible physical condition from going a long time without food. Perhaps he was even drugged. His purpose was to make the other player look good, probably a war hero or a young prince. People would have come to this event to cheer on the hero and deride and humiliate the captive, meanwhile preserving the ancient story of the Hero Twins. Item Name: Maya ball player
|
| Maya
tablet of the Sun |
|
 Size: 16"H x 20.5"W (40 x 52cm) |
Temple of the Sun, Palenque, Mexico. 692 A.D. The original of this tablet is located at the Temple of the Sun, one of the three temples in Palenque known as the Group of the Cross, built by king Chan-Bahlum to commemorate and celebrate his accession rites to the throne after the death of his father, king Pacal. The tablet shows king Pacal on the left side, dressed in burial apparel and holding a full-bodied eccentric flint and a shield made of a flayed human face, a symbol of war. Pacal still holds the insignia of royal power; the passing of authority will occur at the end of ten days of accession rites. Chan-Bahlum is shown on the other side holding an offering manequin of maya god "K". At the center of the tablet, we see a Sun Jaguar shield and crossed spears supported aloft by an underworld throne with bleeding jaguar heads emerging from one axis, and bleeding snakes from the other, representing decapitation sacrifice. The throne rests on the shoulders of god "L" and another aged god from the Underworld. Both are bent over like captives, in representation of the defeat of the Lords of Death at the beginning of time by the Hero Twins who became the source of life through magical rebirth after becoming captive sacrificial victims. Item Name: Maya tablet of the Sun
|
| Maya
tablet of the foliated tree of life |
|
 Size: 13"H x 19"W (33 x 48cm) |
Temple of the Foliated Cross, Palenque, Mexico. 698
A.D. he original of this tablet is located in the temple of the foliated cross, one of the three temples in Palenque, known as the Group of the Cross, built by King Chan-Bahlum to commemorate and celebrate his accession rites to the throne after the death of his father, king Pacal. The tablet shows Chan Bahlum on the left side, dressed simply with a loin cloth and his long hair wrapped in readiness to don the heavy headdress of kingship. His father Pacal stands on the other side, dressed in burial apparel. Pacal holds the insignia of royal power, the passing of authority will occur at the end of ten days of accession rites. In the center we see a variant of the tree of life formed by a maize plant rising from a band of water and the Kan-cross Waterlily Monster, which symbolizes the waters of the earth as the source of life. In the crown of the tree sits a huge water bird wearing the mask of the Celestial Bird. The branches of the tree are ears of maize manifested as human heads since in Maya tradition, human flesh was made from maize dough. Pacal is shown giving to his son a personified bloodletter, an instrument for bloodletting rituals and vision quests. It drew the blood of the King and brought on the trance that opened the portal to Shivalva (the Maya underworld) and brought forth the Gods. Item Name: Maya tablet of the foliated tree of life
|
| Toltec
Atlantean warrior |
|
 Size: 14.5"H (37cm) |
Tula, Mexico. 900 A.D. This standing carved column represents one of the four pillars atop the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl which supports the ceiling of the Temple of the Morning Star (the planet Venus). The Four warriors are located in the archaeological zone of Tula ( central Mexico) and watch over the ancient city which dates back to 719 B.C. Tula and Chitchen Itza were the main cities of the Toltec civilization which flourished between 900 A.D. and 1168 A.D. The Toltecs were a highly militaristic and ritualistic society composed of many warrior casts who were skilled metallugists and who practiced ritual sacrifice and cranial deformations. The Toltecs mysteriously disappeared in the 11th century. These columns represent Toltec warriors or possibly Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the plumed serpent in his guise as the morning star. The Four 15 foot tall columns show identical warriors carved from basalt who are richly atired and dressed for battle, wearing a feathered headdress, rectangular ear pieces, a belt that clasps in the rear with a large mirror, a necklace, bracelets, anklets and sandals decorated with plumed serpents. Over the chest they wear a vest with the butterfly blazon, the Toltec warrior’s emblem. In their left hand, they hold a bunch of curved arrows and in the right hand they hold an atlatl (a curved spear or arrow thrower) which is a highly unusual and controversial weapon not seen anywhere else. Item Name: Toltec Atlantean warrior
|
| Olmec
colossal head |
|
 Size: 8.25"H (21cm) |
La Venta, Mexico. 1000B.C. Few of the world's art treasures conceal more mysteries than the stone sculptures of the Olmecs, the Gulf Coast people who created Mesoamerica's first civilization more than 3000 years ago. The objects range from exquisite miniatures fashioned from jade and serpentine to colossal stone heads. One feature that distinguishes them from the art of later peoples is their stark realism, many of the sculptures are fashioned in the round, portraying the human figure in squat but accurate detail. Almost two meters high and weighing over 15 tons, this monumental head is one of four found at La Venta, near the Gulf Coast. Scholars speculate that they may have portrayed rulers of the city. The Olmecs wrought these colossal heads from huge boulders of basalt from the Tuxtla mountains, 100 km away and they must have floated them on balsa rafts along the slow-moving rivers of the Gulf Coast. At La Venta, the four colossal heads were set as if to guard the ceremonial core of the site, three to the south and one to the north, all with their backs to the architecture. Item Name: Olmec colossal head
|
| Mask
of Death and Rebirth Wall Relief, Small |
|
 Size: 5.5"H x 7.5"W (19 x 14cm) |
Tikal, Mexico. 900 AD, Maya This Maya mask shows the different stages of life as part of a never ending cycle of human evolution through life and the afterlife as it was understood by the Mayans. The mask has three layered faces, each representing one particular stage of life. The inner face represents the beginning of life at birth. The middle face is the most important one since it represents the adult stage when the person comes into his full potential and most of his life experiences happened. The outer or third face represents the end of earthly life. This sacred time was viewed by the Maya as the end of one cycle and the beginning of another one. Death was followed by lavish preparations for the next life. Item Name: Mask of Death and Rebirth Wall Relief, Small
|
| Aztec
Solar Calender Wall Relief - Large |
|
 Size: 17"H (43cm) |
Antropological Museum, Mexico City. 1500 A.D. The Aztec calendar set out the mathematical formulas according to which the whole universe was organized and which governed the actions of men and Gods alike. The calendar is actually two: the Xiupohualli or the count of the days and the Tonalpohualli or the count of destiny. The calendar had to be consulted through the priests before engaging in any activity whether it was farming, warfare, religion or commerce. In addition to the count of the days, it also has astronomical data like the phases of the moon and Venus and the years of Mercury and Mars. The calendar also mentions the four eras of humanity known as "suns" before our own: all ended in cataclysm. The sun that is now ours, the fifth one, Nahui Ollin ("four earthquake") is supposed to end by cataclysmic earthquakes. The Aztecs attributed the invention of the calendar to the God Quetzalcoatl. The original calender weighs 25 tons and has a diameter of eleven feet. Item Name: Aztec Solar Calender Wall Relief - Large
|
| Lid
from Sarcophagus of Palenque Wall Relief |
|
 Size: 14"H x 8.5"W x .5"D |
Temple of Inscriptions, Palenque, Mexico. 692 A.D. In the city of Palenque, in a temple on top of a pyramid, the archaeologist Albert Lluillier found in 1952 the access to a funerary cript that houses the sarcophagus of the King Pacal Votan the Great (615-683 A.D.). The Soviet scientist Alexander Kazantev came out with the theory that the relief on the lid of the sarcophagus represents an astronaut and his spaceship but according to the Mayan legend, the symbolism of the lid shows King Pacal falling into the jaws of the Earth monster each night to rise again with the power of the sun each morning. Its teeth are enlarged to demonstrate its encompassing power. At the top is the mythological "Moun" bird. The pillar-like construction above Pacal's head is the tree of life. The original lid in Mexico is twelve feet long. Item Name: Lid from Sarcophagus of Palenque Wall Relief
|
| Aztec
Solar Calender Wall Relief - Small |
|
 Size: 10"H (25cm) |
Antropological Museum, Mexico City. 1500 A.D. The Aztec calendar set out the mathematical formulas according to which the whole universe was organized and which governed the actions of men and Gods alike. The calendar is actually two: the Xiupohualli or the count of the days and the Tonalpohualli or the count of destiny. The calendar had to be consulted through the priests before engaging in any activity whether it was farming, warfare, religion or commerce. In addition to the count of the days, it also has astronomical data like the phases of the moon and Venus and the years of Mercury and Mars. The calendar also mentions the four eras of humanity known as "suns" before our own: all ended in cataclysm. The sun that is now ours, the fifth one, Nahui Ollin ("four earthquake") is supposed to end by cataclysmic earthquakes. The Aztecs attributed the invention of the calendar to the God Quetzalcoatl. The calendar weighs 25 tons and has a diameter of eleven feet. Item Name: Aztec Solar Calender Wall Relief - Small
|
| Aztec
double headed serpent |
|
 Size: 11"H x 19"W (28 x 48cm) |
British Museum, London. 15th century Splendid relic of the Aztecs, who rose from squalid origins to power and riches in just 200 years, this double-headed rattlesnake serpent was used as a ceremonial chest ornament that may have been worn by a priest. It is incrusted with scales of turquoise, a stone the Aztecs imported from the outposts of their empire to adorn some of their most beautiful possessions. This piece is the work of a Mixtec jeweller, and dates from the 15th century. Mixtec craftsmanship was highly prized; an entire enclave of artisans from this culture lived in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. In mesoamerican culture, serpents were very important religious symbols, the shedding of their skin made them a symbol of rebirth and renewal. One of the main mesoamerican deities, Quetzalcoatl, was represented as a feathered serpent. Item Name: Aztec double headed serpent
|
| Feathered
Serpent Head of Quetzalcoaltl Wall Relief |
|
 Size: 7"H x 7"W x 6"D (18 x 18 x
15cm) |
Pyramid of Quetzalcoaltl, Teotihuacan, Mexico. 300
A.D. One of the great Gods of Ancient Mesoamerica, Quetzalcoatl is a synthesis of serpent and bird. The name means "quetzal serpent". The quetzal was a sacred bird of very beautiful feathers which were used in elite and ritual costumes. Quetzalcoatl, the patron of rulers, had several incarnations, the most important were as a creator god, as Ehecatl, the God of Wind; as the Morning Star; and as Topiltzin, a semi-human ruler, unique among the Gods. The priestly Quetzalcoatl was often contrasted to his dark shamanic brother Tezcatlipoca, the God of war, and their relation veer between enmity and alliance. According to Aztec and Maya creation accounts, after the great floods ended the era of the Fourth Sun, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca raised the heavens and create the Earth. Since no people inhabitated the earth, Quetzalcoatl descended to the underworld to retrieve the remains of the people destroyed by the flood. Their bones were ground like corn into a fine meal and upon it the gods let their blood, thus creating the flesh of the present race and the era of the Fifth Sun. Item Name: Feathered Serpent Head of Quetzalcoaltl Wall Relief
|
| Maya
Vision Serpent Wall Relief - Small |
|
 Size: 8"H (20cm) |
Yaxchilan, Mexico. 755 A.D. The Maya vision serpent symbolizes the passage of ancestral spirits and the gods of Xibalba (the Maya underworld) into our world. In states of ecstasy and usually following penis or tongue bloodletting, particularly as graphically depicted at Yaxchilan, Maya mobility invoke the vision serpent. During special ceremonies, bloody papers were burnt in a sacred bowl and from it, this great undulating serpent rises and from its mouth emerges an ancestor or, occasionally, a deity. The serpent itself then, is probably what one sees in the clouds of smoke rising from the burning sacrifice, and cloud symbols may flank the vision serpent’s body. The vision serpent can be the vehicle by which ancestors or deities make themselves manifest to humanity. This sculptural wall relief depicts a version with a single head and personified blood scrolls attached to its tail. Item Name: Maya Vision Serpent Wall Relief - Small
|
| Chac-Mool |
|
 Size: 8"H x 12"W (20 x 25cm) |
Temple of the Warriors, Chichen Itza, Mexico. 1000
A.D. Chac Mools have been found across Mesoamerica, from El Salvador to Michoacan, although most of the best examples come from Chichen Itza and Tula. This Toltec style offertory figure is in its typical half-reclining position, supporting himself at the elbows, with its head turned to one side. The bowl held on the chests of Chac Mools were receptacles for offerings; in one Aztec example, the bowl held by the Chac Mool was a receptacle for the hearts of sacrificial victims. Chac Mools may symbolize fallen warriors who deliver offerings to the gods. The original of this Chac Mool is located in a wide platform in front of the entrance to the Temple of the Warriors in Chichen Itza; it is positioned between two large splendidly carved feathered serpent columns that symbolize the god Kukulcan. The term Chac Mool was coined by the 19th century explorer Augustus LePlongeon, and it literally means great jaguar paw in Yucatec Mayan. Item Name: Chac-Mool
|
| Maya
Calendar Wall Relief |
|
 Size: 10.5"H (27cm) |
The Maya Calendar depicted here was called "the
Haab", the Maya solar calendar of 365 days. It was divided into
18 months of 20 days each with a period of 5 days left over at the
end of the year. This short 5 day month is called Uayeb, "the
resting or sleep of the year". The Maya also used another
calendar of 260 days called the sacred round or Tzolkin composed of
13 months of 20 days. A cycle of 52 solar years, called the calendar
round was also used. The calendar round of 52 years included both
the Haab and Tzolkin calendars intermeshing with each other. Any
specific day in the 260 day calendar had a unique corresponding
position in the 360 day calendar but that corresponding position
would not repeat itself again for 52 solar years. This calendar
sculpture shows the Maya God of Time at the center, supporting the
burden of time on his back. He is surrounded by the hieroglyphs of
the 19 months.
Item Name: Maya Calendar Wall Relief
|
| Head
of King Pacal relief |
|
 Size: 8"H (20cm) |
Palenque, Mexico. 692 A.D. King Pacal (also known as Pacal the Great) was born in the year 603 A.D. He was king of the Maya Kingdom of Palenque and is said to have reigned for 67 years until his death at the age of 80. The name "Pacal" means "shield" in the Maya language. Pacal expanded Palenque's power in the western part of the Maya states, and initiated a building program at his capital that produced some of the finest art and architecture of the Maya civilization. He was preceded as ruler of Palenque by his mother Lady Zac-Kuk. As the Palenque dynasty seems to have had Queens only when there was no eligible male heir, Zac-Kuk transferred rulership to her son upon his official maturity. He ascended the throne at age 12 on 29 July, 615 A.D. After his death, Pacal the Great was worshiped as a god, and said to communicate with his descendants. His elaborate temple tomb had a stairway down to his crypt, and after this was sealed up it had a long "speaking tube" connected to the temple atop the step-pyramid. The lid of Pacal's tomb, referred to by some as The lid of Palenque, is the most photographed, reproduced and written about stone work of its kind. Item Name: Head of King Pacal relief
|
| Aztec
Moon Goddess Coyolxauhqui |
|
 Size: 11"H (28cm) |
Temple Mayor Museum, Mexico City. 1400 A.D. This sculpture, 10 feet in diameter, is one of the most impressive and important examples of Aztec art. Her name is Coyolxauhqui, which means "She of the Rattles on her Cheeks". She was also called one who "spoke to all the centipedes and spiders and transformed herself into a sorceress" or a "very evil woman". She was one of the major goddesses in Aztec mythology. In a mythical representation of the triumph of the sun over the powers of night personified by Coyolxauhqui as a lunar goddess, she is shown decapitated and dismembered after she was slain by her brother, the Sun God, Huitzilopochtli. Here, bells decorate her cheek, and in accordance with her ferocious image, she wears a skull on her belt and serpent armbands with claws attached. Item Name: Aztec Moon Goddess Coyolxauhqui
|
| King
Chan-Bahlun relief |
|
 Size: 14"H (37cm) |
Temple of the Foliated Cross, Palenque, Mexico. 692
A.D. This sculpture is a fragment of a larger scene that shows one of the ascention rituals of Chan-Bahlum to the throne of the city of Palenque. Chan-Bahlum is shown presenting the "Tialoc", a symbol of ritual bloodletting to the foliated tree of life. On the other side of the tree is the deceased King Pacal, father of Chan-Bahlum transfering the powers of kingship to his son. This scene occurs in Xibalba, the Maya underworld. Chan-Bahlum and his father Pacal were the most important kings of Palenque and their reign can be considered the golden period of Palenque during which the city became the most important religious and political center in the Yucatan. Pacal and Chan-Bahlum built all the important temples and buildings of the city. Chan Bahlum was responsible for building the three temples of the Group of the Cross from which this relief originates. During their reign, art reached new realms of technical sophistication. The name Chan-Bahlum means "Snake-Jaguar". He was born in 635 A.D., ascended to the throne on 684 A.D. at the age of 48 and died in 702 A.D. Item Name: King Chan-Bahlun relief
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