Maya - Language of Beauty
Touring exhibition of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Mexico. Information and photo tour through the presentation in Berlin, 2016.
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Architectural element
Late Classic (600 - 900 AD)
Uxmal, Yucatán
Limestone
INAH. Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City
This sculpture was located on the main façade of the Pyramid of the Magician and is known as the Queen of Uxmal. In reality it is the face of a young man. Out of the gaping jaws of a stylized serpent emerges a human head with earflares, a pierced nose, and a headpiece of jade discs. His facial expression is grim, and extremely concentrated. This person of high status, possibly a ruler, has apparently carried out a ritual in which he was symbolically swallowed by a boa and then resurged with the powers of a shaman. The marks on his right cheek also suggest this rite.
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
Touring exhibition of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Mexico. Information and photo tour through the presentation in Berlin, 2016.