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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Calakmul, Campeche
Late Classic (600 - 900 AD)
Jade, obsidian and shells
INAH. Museo Arqueológico de Campeche, Fuerte San Miguel, Campeche
Deified Face
During the Classic period, when a ruler died, a jade mask was placed in the tomb as part of the burial offerings that would accompany and protect him on his long journey to the Underworld. It was believed that the mask represented him in life. This mask, which was found in a tomb of Structure VII of Calakmul, shows the deified face of a ruler with ear Ornaments that represent the Mesoamerican model of the cosmos with four sides and a center. The curved white elements leading from the mask's nose and mouth are a clear allusion to the divine breath, and thus that the mask is alive through this breath.
© 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.