Stucco head of the God of Maize discovered in Palenque

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Stucco head of the God of Maize discovered in Palenque
The sculpture is the focal point of an offering that was apparently arranged on a pond, simulating the entry of the deity into the underworld, in an aquatic setting. Photo: Proyecto Arqueológico Palenque.

Translated by: Liz Marie Gangemi



MEXICO CITY.- Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), a department belonging to the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, discovered the representation of the young Maize God in the Palenque Archaeological Zone, in Chiapas.

This is the first such finding of a stucco head of this important Mayan deity on the site. The discovery was registered in 2021 during the renovation project "Architectural Conservation and Decorative Enhancements of El Palacio", which was made possible through the Ambassadors Fund of the State Department for Cultural Preservation, sponsored by the United States Government.

During July of that year, the interdisciplinary team undertaking the initiative, which was co-directed by Archaeologist Arnoldo González Cruz and Researcher Haydeé Orea Magaña, observed a careful alignment of stones in a hallway connecting the rooms of B House of El Palacio with those of the adjacent F House.

The nose and half-open mouth of the deity emerged from inside of a semi square receptacle-formed by three walls-and covered by a layer of loose dirt.

As the excavation progressed, they discovered that the sculpture is the focal point of a lavish offering within a pond and plastered walls to simulate within an aquatic setting the entry of the God of Maize into the underworld.




"The discovery of the site grants us an opportunity to understand how the ancient Mayans of Palenque regularly recreated the mythical passages regarding birth, death and resurrection of the God of Maize," declared the INAH Chiapas Center’s, Arnoldo González Cruz.

The archaeologist and his colleagues Carlos Varela Scherrer and Wenceslao Urbina Cruz, who assisted as field chiefs, described how the stucco head symbolizes the birth of the maize plant beneath the first rays of the sun.

"The figure, which is sculpted around a limestone support, has graceful characteristics: the chin is sharp, pronounced and split; the lips are thin and project outward (the lower one is tilted slightly downwards) and the upper incisors peek through. The cheekbones are high; and the eyes are slanted and thin; and the nose is projected from a broad, long, flat and rectangular shaped forehead,” they further described.

Also of significance are the fragments of a tripod dish on which the sculpture was placed, as originally the piece “was considered to be a severed head”. This notion arose by comparing the iconography of the young Maize God with other pieces and documents from the Tardío and Tikal period in which this deity and characters linked to it appear with a severed head.

González Cruz explained that this archaeological perspective is the conclusion of several events: the first consisting of the use of the pond as a mirror of water to see a reflection of the cosmos.

It is likely that these nocturnal rituals started during the reign of K'inich Janaab' Pakal I (615-683 AD) and continued through those of K'an Bahlam II (684-702 AD), K'an Joy ChitamII (702-711 AD) and Ahkal Mo' Nahb' III (721-736 AD).

After that, perhaps during the reign of the latter, they symbolically closed off that space, by demolishing a portion of the stucco floor of the pond and filling it in with vegetables, animal bones (mainly quail, white turtle, white fish and domestic dog), shells, crab claws, carved bone fragments, ceramic pieces, three parts of miniature anthropomorphic figurines, 120 obsidian knives, green stone beads and 2 shell beads, as well as seeds and small snails.










Today's News

June 7, 2022

Stucco head of the God of Maize discovered in Palenque

Palmer Museum of Art offers first look at new building with 3D video tour

Christie's to offer Antonio Stradivari's finest inlaid violin: The 'Hellier' Stradivarious violin

Phillips' upcoming editions sale to be company's first live auction hosted in Southampton

McNay Art Museum awarded $750,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation

Tracey Emin unveils sculpture in Scottish woods at Jupiter Artland and brand-new works on love after hardship

Phillips sale illustrates the history of Generative art

A panorama of design

On Sunday, June 26, Part 2 of The Grace Garcia Estate goes up for bid at Turner Auctions + Appraisals

Roxa Smith joins C24 Gallery

P·P·O·W Gallery opens a two-person exhibition of works by Clementine Keith-Roach and Christopher Page

National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens enters a new era

University Archives announces Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction

Group show at Tiwani Contemporary brings together five artists

Diriyah Biennale Foundation announces Hajj Terminal in Jeddah as the location for first-ever Islamic Arts Biennale

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins' collection launches Heritage Space Exploration auction beyond $2.5 million

PATRON announces 'Jennie C. Jones: Nocturnes'

Phillips to auction the Asprey Bugatti masterpiece sculpture + NFT

Gazelli Art House opens a retrospective exhibition of Perle Fine's career

Timken Museum of Art of San Diego reopens

Kohn Gallery announces representation of artist Siji Krishnan

Derek Eller Gallery opens a solo exhibition of multi-media assemblage works by Nancy Shaver

The Top 5 Reasons to Hire an Escort

Beef Up Your Shopify With These Tips




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful