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es posibte .,.::
COllsejo Naciollal para la Cultura y las Artes Editorial Raices, S.A. de C V.
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Instituto Vertflcodor de Medias
Registro No. 087 / 11
 LA RESTAURACION DE LAS
IVIAsCA RAS FUNERARIAS DE JADE
UN REENCUE N TRO C O N LO S ROS T ROS DEL PA S A DO

SOFiA MARTiNEZ DEL CAMPO LANZ , LAURA FILLOY NADAL

1 descubrimiento, el res- Izquierda: La mascara de la Tumba 1, pecto ha sido estudiada, jus-

E cate y la puesta en valor Estructura VII, de Calakmul en 1986,
despues de la primera restauraci6n.
de objetos pertenecientes a
Derecha: La mascara luego de la
culturas antiguas constituye restauraci6n mas reciente.
una de las grandes aporta- FOTOS: JAVIER HINOJOSA
ciones de la arqueologla
como ciencia , la cual nos
lleva al conocimiento y la
comprension de nuestro
pasado. Armados con es-
tas premisas, los
arqueologos
llevan a cabo
el minucioso
trabajo de regis-
trar cada una de las piezas encon-
tradas en excavacion. A ell os corresponde su levanta-
miento, clasificacion e identificacion mediante el estudio.
Sin embargo, la recuperacion en SI no es suficiente, tam-
bien es necesaria la preservacion del objeto para poder
transmitir el conocimiento de una genera cion a otra.
El proposito primordial de los recientes proyectos de
intervencion de las mascaras funerarias de mosaico de jade
-iniciados en el Taller de Restauracion del Museo Nacio-
nal de Antropologla en la segunda mitad de 2001 , con la
restauracion de la mascara funeraria de Pakal el Grande-
incluye dos aspectos complementarios: la recuperacion de
las cualidades esteticas del rostro y el armado del mosai-
co sobre un soporte elaborado con un material inerte que
asegure su integridad a futuro .
Justificar firmemente cada modificacion del aspecto de
las mascaras para rescatar los atributos propios de la phi s-
tica maya del C/asico ha sido la fase mas compleja del pro-
ceso, ya que durante la investigacion nos hemos dado
cuenta de la carencia de informacion bibliografica sobre
la historia de las piezas, desde su descubrimiento hasta la
fecha . Lo anterior nos ha llevado a analizar los iniguala-
bles retratos de personajes plasmados en esculturas y ba-
jorrelieves del C/asico maya y a buscar informacion origi-
nal , incluyendo datos ineditos, sobre los registros de
excavacion y los procesos de restauracion a los que han
sido sometidas las piezas a traves de los afios. De esta for-
ma , en las {iltimas intervenciones de mascaras funerarias
se han seguido los preceptos teoricos de la conservacion
con apoyo de disciplinas como la arqueologla, la antro-
pologla flsica , la epigrafla y la historia del arte. AS1, las
mascaras se han analizado desde una perspectiva histori-
ca, estetica y cultural, y cualquier modificacion a su as-
tificada y aprobada por un
equipo multidisciplinario
de especialistas.
Por otro lado, durante
los proyectos de restau-
racion se han contem-
plado los posibles
procesos de des-
composicion de la
materia organica
ocurridos den-
/ tro del sepulcro
y la etiologla de
las alteraciones,
aSI como la distri-
bucion de las par-
tes en el contexto
arqueologico para 10-
grar una reconstruccion
precisa de cada uno de los
mosaicos. Los analisis flsicos y
qUlmicos de sus elementos constitutivos han sido realiza-
dos por la Subdireccion de Laboratorios y Apoyo Acade-
mico del INAH , por la California State University de San
Bernardino California y por el "Proyecto Tecnicas de Ma-
nufactura de los Objetos de Concha del Mexico Prehispa-
nico". Los resultados nos han llevado a un mayor conoci-
miento de los materiales y de la tecnica de manufactura
empleada por los artesanos mayas.
Los hallazgos obtenidos con la metodologla estableci-
da durante la restauracion de la mascara de Pakal el Gran-
de han sido alentadores y por ello hemos continuado apli-
candola en las restauraciones subsecuentes, entre las que
se incluyen la mascara del cinturon ceremonial de Pakal
encontrada sobre la lapida del Templo de las Inscripcio-
nes; la mascara del cinturon ceremonial de la Tumba 3 del
Templo Olvidado de Palenque, Chiapas; la mascara fune-
raria de mosaico de jade de Oxkintok, Yucatan, proce-
dente de la Tumba 5 de la Subestructura CA-3 del grupo
Ah Canul; y, en (iltimas fechas , la mascara funeraria de
mosaico de jade de Calakmul, Campeche, proveniente
de la Tumba 1 de la Estructura VII. Todas elIas se inclu-
yen en el "Proyecto Mascaras Funerarias", iniciado hace
dos afios por la Coordinacion Nacional de Museos y Ex-
posiciones del INAH.
El segundo aspecto complementario de los procesos de
restauracion, es decir, la elaboracion del soporte definiti-

12 / ARQUEOLOGiA MEXlCANA
 ~ It'. .
~
~ ~
~ ~~
i'i

I i
i I
~
~
~
Q
______________________________
~ I
L

rr ....-::
Ala izquierda se ve el modelo de la cabeza de estuco de Las restauradoras Sofia Martinez del Campo (izquierda)
Pakal. Sirvi6 para ajustar las dimensiones y proporciones y Laura Filloy (derecha) fueron las encargadas de la
de la mascara de jadeita de Pakal que se ve a la derecha. restauraci6n mas reciente de la mascara de Pakal.

.IDI
'I"~~l: t.';." ,'-' ,~
.~. "":Jt:.'f.'
4
?jf.' .... ~ . i
~I',......... 'yiP'"
1~
".;
... ,. if '\.~.,
';Z \'
.1
I,' '.,.;~.
I" ":\"
, ,,( )
~.j \ 'r ~\
t· ,-.' ,

.... ~.:-

Algunas teselas de la mascara de Pakal muestran Izquierda: Aspecto de la mascara de Pakalluego de las primeras
incisiones 0 rostros tallados en su parte posterior. intervenciones. Derecha: La mascara luego de la ultima restauraci6n.
FOTO: ARCHive PROYECTO MASCARAS DE JADE I CNME I INAH FOTOS: MICHEL ZASE I RAICES Y JOAGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAfcES

vo, esta induido dentro de los lineamientos de esta meto-
dologia y es de gran importancia debido a que la preser-
vacion de los materiales constitutivos de los objetos de
arte es fundamental. Asi, para asegurar la integridad del
jade, la obsidiana y la concha -materias primas que con-
forman estos esplendidos mosaicos- efectuamos una se-
rie de pmebas con materiales diversos para la elaboracion
de dichos soportes. En el caso de la mascara de Pakal,
se penso desde un principio en un material sintetico que
fuera inerte y transparente , ya que algunas de las teselas
fueron parte de antiguas joyas prehispanicas que presen-
tan incisiones y dos bellos rostros tallados en su parte
posterior; asimismo, se observan restos de los materiales
prehispanicos que constituyeron el soporte original. Para
la mascara de Oxkintok nos decidimos por un material
sintetico e inerte semejante al estuco que conforma el so-
porte original en el que la mascara fue montada en el Cla-
sica Temprano . Un material muy parecido fue utilizado
para la mascara de Calakmul y para las pequefias masca-
ras de los cinturones ceremoniales de Palenque, Chiapas.
Cabe afiadir que los mosaicos de jade son susceptibles
de ser modificados siempre y cuando se cuente con el res-
paldo de Fuentes fidedignas que enriquezcan las propues-
tas con nueva informacion. En el caso especifico de la mas-
cara de Pakal, por ejemplo, el montaje provisional de la
segunda fase de restauracion ya estaba terminado cuan-
do e n la boveda de la Subdireccion de Arqueologia del
MNA ocurrio el insolito hallazgo de una cajita que guarda-
ba 160 pequefias teselas de jade que sin duda pertene-
dan al mosaico. Lo anterior quedo establecido por las ca-
racteristicas propias de las piezas, como el tipo de jade ,
los materiales prehispanicos en superficie, la numeracion
original de Ruz Lhuillier y, 10 mas relevante, su forma, que
coincidia con los faltantes que teniamos en el mosaico. De
esta forma , la propuesta se via modificada con resultados
sorprendentes.
Para conduir, vale la pena comentar que la interven-
cion de las mascaras funerarias es un trabajo que deman-
da , en todos los casos, un estudio constante y la partici-
pacion interdisciplinaria . Gracias a ellos hemos podido
alcanzar un alto grado de precision en el montaje de los
mosaicos y la recuperacion de los atributos propios de la
plastica maya a traves del rostro del personaje plasma do
en cada uno de ellos. Pero no solo eso, su lectura tambien
nos ha llevado a un conocimiento mas profundo del sim-
bolismo otorgado por los artesanos mayas en el momen-
to de su creacion. As!, gracias a estos trabajos de conser-
vacion se ha propiciado un reencuentro con los rostros
del esplendoroso pasado de la cultura maya.
• Sofia Martinez del Campo Lanz. Licenciada en restauraci6n de bienes
muebles par la ENCRYM, INAH. Se ha especializado en la restauraci6n de
ajuares y mascaras funerarias de jade y concha.
• Laura Filloy Nadal. Maestra en arqueologia. Restaurador perito del Mu-
seo Nacional de Antropologia , INAH .

RESTAURACION DE MASCARAS / 13
AR~U ITECTU RA
V RITOS
FUNERARIOS
IVIAVAS
RAMON CARRASCO VARGAS

l abordar el tema de la arquitectura funeraria y las ce-

A remonias asociadas nos enfrentamos a una serie de
paradigmas que se han ido construyendo por mas de una
centuria de estudios mayistas, paradigmas que han cam-
biado con la informaci6n procedente de nuevas investi-
gaciones. En los ultimos anos se ha establecido que los ri-
tuales posteriores a la muerte de un personaje de la realeza
maya estaban acompanados de una serie de preparativos
que se llevaban a cabo durante varios dias e incluso se-
manas. En las inscripciones del Clasico en que se hacen
alusiones a la muerte se consign a que las ceremonias luc-
tuosas posteriores al deceso se prolongaban hasta el de-
cimo dia. Algunos rituales se practicaban a los 100 dias
del fallecimiento y dura ban 400 dias, mientras que otros
se realizaban a partir del primer ano de la muerte , segun
la lectura que se ha hecho de los registros epigraficos.
La construcci6n de la camara funeraria y el tiempo que
se invertia en ella estaban directamente relacionados con
la jerarquia del personaje. En el Clasico Temprano (300-
600 d .C.), antes de la erecci6n de un edificio 0 de la re-
modelaci6n de un basamento se planeaba la construccion
del recinto funerario. Para el Clasico Tardio (600-800 d .C.)
se produce un cambio en la preparacion del sepulcro y
su elaboracion se simplifica. Para este periodo y en 10 su-
cesivo, las tumbas se acondicionan abriendo una fosa en
el piso de alguno de los aposentos, la cual se revestia con
sillares, ya sean labrados 0 simplemente careados. En al-
gunos casos muy especiales y de acuerdo al prestigio del
personaje, la construcci6n de su tumba se debio planear
y disponer con mucha antelaci6n; dos de esos casos
fueron los de la tumba de Pakal, en el Templo de las
Inscripciones de Palenque, y la de Yukom Yich'ak K'ak',
"Garra de]aguar", en la Estructura II de Calakmul.
En Calakmul, de acuerdo a su factura y a su usa, se han
podido identificar tres tipos de recintos funerarios, que co-
rresponden a tres periodos del desarrollo hist6rico del si-
tio: el Clasico Temprano, el Clasico Tardio y el Clasico Ter-
minal, es decir, de 400 a 900 d .C. En el Clasico Temprano,
en ciudades como Calakmul y Tikal, asi como en otros si-
tios del Peten, las tumbas eran recintos techados con las

Recreaci6n de la tumba de Yukom Yich 'ak K'ak',

"Garra de Jaguar", y de su of rend a funeraria .
Estructura II , Calakmul, Campeche.
IMAGEN COMPUTARIZAOA: Aoclo AUIZ RODARTE

14 / ARQ UEO LOGiA MEXI CANA

 to tiempo se exhumaban los restos ,
practica que alm persiste en algunas
comunidades mayas.
El empleo de aplanados de lodo,
general mente aplicado con las manos,
como recubrimiento de los muros su-
giere que esta tecnica buscaba repro-
ducir las condiciones 0 aspecto de las
cuevas, las cuales representan el por-
tal por el que se ingresa al interior de
las montanas donde se encuentra el
Xibalba. Es decir, se pretendia repro-
ducir el ambiente al que iria el ch 'u-
leI del difunto, entidad animica que
reside en el interior de la montana sa-
grada y se integra al individuo al mo-
mento de nacer. Cuando la persona
muere, el ch 'ulel regresa a la monta-
na 0 al Xibalba , lugar donde habitan

Mascara procedente de la Mascara procedente de la

Estructura 11-0 de Calakmu l. Estructura VII de Calakmul.
FOTO: IGNACIO GUEVARA I COOADINACtON NAC10NAL DE MUSEOS Y EXPOSICIONES I INAH FOTO: JAVIER HINOJOSA

caracteristicas bovedas mayas. Dos ca- las entidades animicas de los miem-
maras funerarias de este periodo 10- bros de la comunidad y residen los
calizadas en Calakmul, en las estruc- antepasados y ancestros.
turas II y III, muestran caracteristicas La ubicacion de las tumbas de la
muy peculiares. Se trata de amplios elite en basamentos 0 piramides re-
recintos de buena factura elaborados mite al concepto de la montana , que
con mamposteria de piedras burdas, en su cosmovision era el lugar don-
las cuales fueron recubiertas con apla- de se ubicaba el Xibalba , conocido
nados de lodo. Por sus dimensiones como el mundo de los muertos 0 el
y sistema constructivo , estos recintos otro universo , que ha sido erronea-
requirieron de una planificacion y eje- mente nombrado como inframundo.
cucion previa a la construccion del Los ejemplos mas significativos del
edificio donde fueron erigidos. concepto de la cueva como parte de
Para el Clasico Tardio y el Termi- la montana son las tumbas del Clasi-
nal, el tipo de construccion mas co- co Temprano de Rio Azul, en Guate-
mlm en las tumbas de Calakmul, al mala Csiglo v) , y la camara del entie-
igual que en las de otros sitios ma- rro 48 de Tikal, bajo la Estructura
yas, consistia en la simple perfora- 5D-33 en la Acropolis Norte, donde
cion del piso para formar una fosa , fue enterrado el gobernante Cielo
la cual se acondicionaba con muros Tempestuoso en 456 d.C. , las cuales
de mamposteria burda que despues fueron acondicionadas en oquedades
eran recubiertos con un aplanado de naturales, en cavernas, 0 excavadas
lodo hasta el arranque de la boveda. en la roca.
La diferencia que se observa entre es- Mencion especial merecen los re-
tos dos periodos radica no en el sis- cintos funerarios acondicionados en
tema constructivo empleado sino en aposentos de edificaciones tempra-
su uso . En el Clasico Tardio, al igual nas , que posteriormente fueron cu-
que en el Temprano, las camaras fu- biertos por una nueva construccion
nerarias servian de morada para el o remodelacion. Entre estos se en-
difunto , en tanto que en el Clasico cuentran una tumba en Caracol, Be-
Vaso con tapadera antropomoria.
Terminal las tumbas eran utilizadas Templo I, Tikal, Guatemala. lice, acondicionada en un cuarto de
temporalmente , pues luego de cier- FOTO: MICHEL ZASE I COOAOINAC16N NACIONAL DE DIFUSION. INAH la Estructura B20 , y probablemente

16 / ARQUEOLOGIA M EXICANA
tambien la tumba de Pakal, hipotesis propuesta por Ce- El hallazgo en Palenque de una efigie de jadeita den-
dillo y Villalobos en la IV Mesa Redonda de Palenque, asi tro del sarcofago de Pakal en el Templo de las Inscripcio-
como el santuario de 18 Conejo de Copan, en la Estruc- nes, hizo suponer qu e era una "mascara ", pero la recien-
tura 10L-22. Uno de los hallazgos mas recientes de este te reintervencion de esta pieza muestra claramente que en
tipo de tumbas es la de la Reina Roja de Palenque, cuyo realidad se trata de una representacion similar a las escul-
sarcofago fue colocado en el cuarto central de la Subes- turas de estuco encontradas debajo del sarcofago. Las efi-
tructura del Templo XIII. gies eran un componen-
La construccion del re- te mas del ajuar y fueron
cinto mortuorio fonnaba coloca das cerca del di-
parte de los rituales, que funto , pero no sobre la
se comple mentaban con cara del personaje como
la colocacion de ofrend as una sustitucion del rostro .
de ceramica. Estas gene- Mas que a una deidad
ralmente se han inte r- se asocian al individuo
pretado como los con- mismo , para identificarlo
tenedores del alimento como un miembro de su
necesario para el viaje linaje en el Xibalba . Esta
que emprendera el muer- misma funcion debieron
to al Xibalba. Entre los tener objetos como los re-
objetos colocados en las cipientes de mosaico de
camaras funerarias de jadeita de los Entierros
miembros de la elite maya 116 y 196 de Tikal, con
habia joyeria elaborada los retratos de los gober-
en jadeita, concha y otros nantes Ah Cacau y Yax
materiales. Importantes Kin , respectivamente , 0
componentes del ajuar el conjunto de figurillas
de algunos entierros, los Figurillas efigie que representan a los primeros efigie de ceramica recu-
cuales se colocaban jun- gobernantes de Copan, Honduras. peradas como patte de la
to al cuerpo , eran las erro- ofrend a en la tumba del
neamente identificadas Gobernante 12, conocido
como "mascaras funera- como Imix Humeante, de
rias ", que en realidad co- Copan, que representan
rrespondian a la efigie del a los primeros 12 gober-
difunto. El uso del termi- nantes de la ciudad.
no "mascara funeraria " A me did a que avanzan
y sus implicaciones se las investigaciones y au-
debe al desconocimien- menta la informacion so-
to que tenemos de la fun- bre la cultura maya , los
cion que tenian. En rea- viejos paradigmas deben
lidad estas obras de arte ser examinados a la luz
eran re tratos de los per- de los nuevos datos. En
sonaj es enterrados , que este breve ensayo discu-
debieron ser elaborados timos algunos de ellos,
para prolongar su imagen como la arquitectura fu-
mas alla de la muerte. Las neraria y su planeacion,
efigies que se han con- los rituales relacionados
servado fueron las fabri- con la muerte y su dura-
cadas en jadeita 0 mala- cion, asi como la preocu-
quita, 0 las modeladas en pac ion del hombre ante
estuco; probablemente Tumba de la Estructura B20 de Canaa, Caracol, Bel ice. la muerte y su concep-
tambien hubo algunas cion del mundo.
hechas de madera, que irremediablemente desaparecie-
ron. Se han documentado rostros de jadeita solo para al-
gunos pocos sitios como Palenque, Tikal, Dzibanche, Ox-
kintok y Calakmul ; es en esta (tltima ciudad donde se ha Ramon Carrasco Vargas. Museografo graduado en la Escuela Paul Core-
mans y antropologo con especialidad en arqueologia por la ENAH . Ha di-
encontrado el mayor numero de estas personificaciones, rigido proyectos arqueologicos en el area maya. Director del Proyecto
cinco en total. Arqueologico Calakmul, Campeche.

ARQ UITECTURA Y RHOS FUNERARlOS / 17

 K'INICH JANAAB' PAKAL"
FIGURA DE CULTO DE LA
DINASTfA DE PALEN<;;}UE, CHIAPAS
LA EXTINCION DE LA FLOR BLANCA. ENTRAR AL CAIVIINO

GUILLERMO BERNAL

EI Templo de las Inscripciones, en Palenque, es un edificio funerario y santuario de veneracion del gran
gobernante K'inich Janaab' Pakal, "Escudo Ave-Janaab' de Rostro Solar". Sus nueve basamentos aluden
al numero de niveles que, de acuerdo con las creencias mayas, tenia el inframundo 0 region de los muertos.

n un texto del Templo de las Inscripciones, en Palen-
E que, se consigna que el 31 de julio de 683 d.C. , dos
dias despues de ocurrida la Luna nueva, hubo un omino-
so suceso relacionado con el gobernante palencano
K'inich Janaab ' Pakal, 10 cual se represent6 mediante un
glifo -algo erasionado- con forma de un rastra humano
con la mandibula descarnada. Aunque no hay certeza so-
bre su significado, hay una pista para entreverlo: se dice
que 28 dias despues, el 28 de agosto, cuando el astra lu-
nar se encuentra en plena conjunci6n, Pakal "entt·a al ca-
mino" (ooch b 'iij), es decir, muere (0 como tambien 10 es-
tilaban declarar poeticamente los escribas mayas: k 'aay u
sak nik ik ', "se extingue su flor blanca, su respiraci6n").
Asi, to do parece indicar que en el primera de los registras
se consigna el inicio de su agonia, que dur6 casi un cicio
lunar. En armonia con el astra , Pakal muere e inicia su via-
je al inframundo (los mayas yucatecos creian que duran-
te la conjunci6n, la Luna moria 0 se iba a dormir a las hon-
duras de un pozo). Pera, al igual que la Luna, Pakal estaba
predestinado a volver de las profundidades de la tierra, a
mantener su presencia entre sus descendientes, a renacer.
Bajo esta creencia , tras un pr6spera reinado de 68 anos y
a los 80 de edad, Pakal muere y en ese momento surge
un vigoraso culto en torno a su Figura .

18 / ARQUEO LOGIA MEA·ICANA

E LMUK NAL , IA TUMBA

EVE~l'O
EN 4 OK, 3 CH'f..\'
<t1~KIODE L'
El cuerpo del gobernante fue llevado (31 DE}L'UO
AGONiA DE PAKAt.?)
DE 683 D.C.)
a su destino final , la tumba (mukna{)
del Templo de las Inscripciones, cuya
estructura piramidal esta compuesta
por nueve basamentos, numero que n'ANSCURRIERON 8
ol>\S Y UNA VEJNTENA DEStlE 4 OK
alude a los niveles que, de acuerdo con (280iAS) (iJ\ FECHA A,TERIOR)

las creencias mayas , tenia el inframun-

do; el templo es la replica arquitect6-
nica de ese ambito. De esta manera , al E:-.I EL of A
I-um
descender par la escalinata interna, sus 6 rrz ;VAB: 11 t:4X
YE~TONCES
(28 DE AGOSTO
OCURRI6 QUE,
restos cruzaron simb6licamente los DE 683 D.C.)

abismos de la oscura y hllmeda regi6n

de los muertos.
La camara funeraria esta decorada OOCHB'tM
ENTRA At CAMIl"O
con nueve guerreros, los regentes del (MUERE)

inframundo, que , solitarios, custodia-

ran el sarc6fago de Pakal durante mas
de un milenio , hasta que el arque610-
go Alberto Ruz Lhuillier 10 descubri6,
en 1952. En la inscripci6n gllfica se con-
signa que "el nombre sagrado de la
rumba es 'la Casa de las Nueve Image-
En el Tablero Oeste del Templo de las
Inscripciones se consigna un suceso
ocurrido el 31 de julio de 683 d.C.,
posiblemente el inicio de la agonia de
Pakal, ya que este murio 28 dias despues.
DIBUJO MEAlE GREENE AOBERTSON

nes' (Bolon Et Naah)", en alusi6n a los

personajes mencionados.

JADEITA Y CINABRIO, SiMBOLOS DE

~
FERTll.IDAD Y RENOVACION VITAL "
Q E,8oK.
3KAIAll'
r;, I (7 DE 1'.":.0
Las honras funerarias de Pakal estu- tiJ DE 684 DC.)

vieron a cargo de su primogenito y ~ ..

heredero al trono , K'inich Kan B'ah- /
lam. El ajuar funerario de su padre es- KAHUAJI SAK flU" ,- - - -
nHM/-I
ES A..'illDADA LA
taba formado por prendas textiles y DIADEMA BL>\.'ICA
El'l u\ CABF2A DE Representacion de uno de los
nueve guerreros que decoran
una gran variedad de ornamentos, par-
los muros de la tumba de Pakal.
ticularmente de jadeita: ani llos, ajor- AI igual que los otros, porta
cas, collares, orejeras, un pectoral, una SAGR'DO SE~OR un cetro que muestra al dios
K 'tNtCfllVcv B AIlIAII
diadema y una extra ordinaria masca- DE P A[J"Qt~ K'awiil (Gil), una rodela con
ra, fiel retrato del gobernante falleci- la imagen del dios Jaguar del
Inframundo (Gill) y un tocado de
do. Junto a sus pies se coloc6 una
ave cormoran (maf) , animal que
pequeiia estatua del Dios del Arbol , })tK'A\VLJU ~\TAHN
B 'OWN ET NAAH
bajo una forma sobrenatural
A LA <AlA DE iJ\S
labrada tambien en jadeita. Este ma- El DA lAS ATEl\C I O~'ES NL'EVE bt4.GENES opero como deidad patrona
terial simbolizaba el agua, el verdor dellinaje palencano.
DIBUJO: MERLE GREENE ROBERTSON
de la naturaleza y en generalla fertili-
dad; fue la expresi6n petrea , eterna , UK'UIIUlKABA i'
MUKNAL-IL
de la renovaci6n de la vida. Por lilti- (QUE ES) EL SAGRAIJO
mo , el cu erpo fue cubierto con cina- NQ.\IDRE DE L-'. l1);\[BA DE

brio, mineral de intenso color rojo que

representaba el llquido vital por ex-
celencia: la sangre. El cinabrio y la ja-
deita abundan dentro de las tumbas
reales mayas , pues existia la creencia
de que transferian sus cualidades re-
generativas al gobernante fallecido ,
quien protagonizaba una especie de
resurrecci6n .
En este texto se consigna que K'inich
Kan B'ahlam, primogenito y sucesor
de Pakal, accedio al mando en 684 d.C.
Y que se encargo de preparar las
honras f unebres de su padre en la
camara fu neraria del Templo de las
Inscripciones, lIamada "Ia Casa
de las Nueve Imagenes".
OIBWO: MERLE GREENE ROBERTSON

PAKAL, FIGURA DE CULTO / 19


Ix SAK K'UK'
SENORA QUETZAL
O!0 •
RE;PlANDECIENTE
K'UHULBMKAJAW . ) : (
SACRADA SIC'lORA DE " .' .
PALENQUE 1"
ARBOl DE CACAO r ~
EL REGRESO A LA SEMILLA
Los huesos del dignatario se equiparaban con las semillas
de las plantas cultivadas (especialmente del maiz) 0 de los
arboles frutales , que germinaban en el mundo subterra-
neo y resurgian como los brotes de una nueva planta, Asi,
en la lapida de su sarc6fago, Pakal fue representado como
el dios K'awiil , patrono del maiz y de la agricultura en ge-
neral, emergiendo de las descarnadas fauces de un ofidio
sobrenatural llamado Sak B'aak Naah Way, entidad que
representaba al mundo subterraneo y al que en algunas
inscripciones se alude como el "nahual" 0 alter ego (way)
del dios K'awiiL Imbuido de las cualidades y potencias de
esta ultima deidad, el gobernante regresa a la tierra junto
con un arbol sagrado, cuyo tronco se eleva vigoroso has-
ta las alturas celestes, donde se posa el dios Itzamnaaj , re-
presentado bajo su aspecto de ave. Mediante esta metafo-
ra visual, Pakal se convierte en un ser divino capaz de
transitar por los niveles del cosmos, de comunicarse con
las entidades sagradas y de servir como enlace entre es-
tas y sus descendientes vivos. Pero el no se abrog6la ex-
clusividad de estas facultades , las que compartia con sus
antepasados, es decir, los dignatarios que Ie antecedieron
en el cargo. En los costados de su sarc6fago mand6 re-
presentar a algunos de ellos e incluy6 a sus p adres sur-
giendo, renaciendo de las profundidades de la tierra jun-
to con arboles frutales , para indicar asi que aun durante
su existencia ultraterrena ellos propiciaban la continuidad
del sustento para la sociedad en su conjunto.
UNA VENERACI6N PERDURABLE
Aunque todos los antepasados dinasticos fueron objero de
veneraci6n, resulta incuestionable que Pakal se convirti6
en el gobernante mas importante de la dinastia loca L Sus
sucesores 10 siguieron representado en monumentos es-
culpidos, en los que aparece como testigo viviente y acti-
La senora Sak K'uk', " Quetzal
Resplandeciente", madre de
Pakal, representada en la cara
sur del sarcofago de Pakal
surgiendo de la tierra junto
con un arbol de cacao.
OIBUJO: MERLE GREENE ROBERTSON
r-_____
vo participante de memo rabIes ceremonias. En mayor 0
menor medida , todos los sucesores de Pakal establecie-
ron vinculos con el, como una forma de consolidar su li-
derazgo politico. Incluso, uno de ellos parece haberse con-
cebido como una especie de encarnaci6n del gobernante
fallecido , pues al entronizarse (ca. 742 d.C.) adopt6 el
nombre de U Pakal K'inich ]anaab' Pakal, asimilando in-
tegramente el nombre de su antepasado.
El ocaso de la capital palencana durante la segunda mi-
tad del siglo VIII probablemente motiv6 atln mas la vene-
raci6n del culto dedicado a Pakal, cuya imagen evocaba
una epoca de esplendor y poderio. Pero los tiempos ha-
bian cambiado y Palenque afrontaba dificultades para man-
tener su influencia regional. En ese entonces, la escalina-
ta abovedada que desemboca en la tumba fue totalmente
bloqueada con toneladas de tierra y piedras, sellando asi,
de manera definitiva , la camara funeraria . Alguna amena-
za se cernia sobre la cripta sagrada, quiza en peligro de
ser profanada. Ya no habria mas ritos de veneraci6n den-
tro de ella, pero la presencia del gob ern ante fallecido se
mantuvo vigente ante quienes Ie rendian culto, que cons-
truyeron un conducto Cllamado "psicoducto") que va de
la cripta al santuario superior y que funcion6 como ele-
mento simb6lico de comunicaci6n. Desde 10 alto, el por-
tal del santuario domina la plaza mas ancha de la ciudad,
espacio que congreg6 a la colectividad durante los ritos
dedicados al gobernante. Hoy, venciendo al tiempo y el
olvido, los restos materiales, la inscripciones y las escenas
iconograficas del Templo de las Inscripciones permiten
iluminar un poco el abigarrado y complejo conjunto de
creencias que la culta y opulenta dinastia local teji6 en tOf-
no a la figura sacralizada del dignatario , aquel cuya flor
blanca se extinguiera durante el verano de 683 d.C.
Guillermo Bernal. Historiador, especia lista en escriulra maya. Colabora-
dar del museD de sitio de Palenqlle Alberto RlIZ Lhllillier y del Proyecto
Arqlleol6gico Palenque, INAH.
PAKAL, FIGURA DE cuno / 21
 LAS
MAsCARAS
DELA
REINA
ROJA DE
PALENQUE,
CH IAPAS
srlVl BOLOS
DE PODER

ARN OLDO GONzALE Z CRU Z

as practicas funerarias de Palen-

L que , Chiapas, han sido documen-
tadas desde finales del siglo XIX, cuan-
do distintos viajeros y exploradores
descubrieron varias tumbas. Sin em-
bargo fue el doctor Alberto Ruz Lhui-
llier, en la decada de los cincuenta
del siglo pasado , quien estudi6 las
costumbres funerarias de los antiguos
mayas mediante el analisis de apro-
ximadamente 79 tumbas de la anti-
gua ciudad. Entre estas destaca la tum-
ba de K'inich]anaab' Pakal, "Escudo
Ave-]anaab' de Rostro Solar",enel Tem-
plo de las Inscripciones, hasta la fe-
cha la mas importante de Palenque
y del area maya . Durante los traba-
jos de exploraci6n de la decada de
los noventa se recuperaron aproxi-
madamente 204 individuos, los cua-
les fueron encontrados en situacio-
nes distintas que van des de entierros
excavados directamente en la tierra
o bien en cistas de lajas de piedra ca-
liza, hasta rumbas con camaras abo-

EI entierro de la Reina Roja en el

momenta de su descubrimiento, en
1994. Templo XIII , Palenque, Chiapas.
FOTO: JAVIER HINOJOSA

MASCARAS DE LA REINA R OJA / 23


La mascara de la Reina Roja en 2001 ,
despues de su restauraci6n.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAICES
Figurilla femenina dentro de una concha.
Formaba parte de la ofrend a de la Reina Roja.
FOTO: MICHEL ZASE: I TACHI / RAfCES
Objetos de ceramica que formaban parte de la of rend a de la Reina Roja.
FOTOS: PATRICIA TAMES 8ATHA I PROVECTO MExICO / CND / INAH
Mascara que quiza formaba parte del
cintur6n ceremonial de la Reina Roja.
FOTO: OCTAVIQ MORENO I PRQVECTO ARQUEOLOOICO PALENQUE, INAH
vedadas y camaras abovedadas con
sarcofago, en las que generalmente
los individuos eran sepultados con
multiples objetos. Estos hallazgos, su-
mados a los estudiados por Alberto
Ruz, nos han permitido contar con in-
formacion sobre arquitectura funera-
ria, estatus social, patrones funerarios
y socioeconomicos, asi como sobre
condiciones de salud.
La ubicacion de las tumbas y la ca-
lidad de las ofrend as dependia de la
posicion social del individuo. La gen-
te comun generalmente era enterra-
da en el piso de sus casas 0 en luga-
res cercanos a elias, acompafiados
generalmente de ofrend as pobres for-
madas principalmente por algunos
platos, vasos de ceramica y manos de
metate. Los nobles de menor rango
generalmente fueron enterrados bajo
el piso de los templos , en tumbas de
cista, con ofrend as compuestas por
objetos de ceramica, concha, hueso,
obsidiana y jadeita. En cambio los
cuerpos de los gobernantes eran
enterrados con un rico ajuar funera-
rio, en amplias tumbas abovedadas ,
acompafiados por personas sacr-ifica-
das y por objetos correspondientes a
su rango -politico, economico y reli-
gioso--, principalmente de jade, con-
cha, obsidiana y ceramica, asi como
por tocados , mascaras funerarias ,
cinturones y cetros, considerados to-
dos como simbolos de poder.
Dentro de este sistema de ente-
rramientos destaca una tumba que
por sus caracteristicas arquitectoni-
cas, materiales arqueologicos y su ubi-
cacion dentro de la ciudad de Palen-
que debio pertenecer a un miembro
de la realeza. Fue localizada en 1994,
en un templo hoy conocido como de
la Reina ROja, y es uno de los recin-
tos funerarios mas impresionante del
area maya. Su construccion corres-
ponde al auge de la ciudad; comen-
zo probablemente en el siglo VII y con-
tinuo por 200 afios.
EI edificio cubrio dos construccio-
nes previas. La primera fue adaptada
para servir como tumba de una mu-
jer noble , cuya identidad sigue sien-
do un misterio pues no hay inscrip-
cion glifica que la identifique. Se Ie ha
llama do la Reina Roja porque su os a-

24 / ARQUEOLOGjA MEXICANA
menta fue hallada totalmente cubierta de cinabrio Csulfuro tamientos graficos del craneo, para contar con un sopor-
de mercurio). Mucho se ha especulado sobre su identidad te maleable que nos permitiera mover y colocar las pie-
y se cree probable que fuera pariente cercana de K'inich zas mllitipies veces sin danarlas. Las primeras piezas que
Janaab' Pakal, pues la riqueza de su ajuar funerario permi- se formaron fueron la boca, el menton, la nariz y los ojos,
te asegurar que pertenecio al circulo mas selecto de la eli- 10 cual permitio determinar las dimensiones de la masca-
te. La mujer tenia alrededor de 45 anos y fue sepultada den- ra y contar con un eje central que facilito la ubicacion del
tro de un sarcofago de piedra liso, en cuyos costados resto del material ; se colocaron y nivelaron las placas, tal
exteriores fueron localizadas dos personas sacrificadas. Su y como 10 marcaban los biseles, con 10 cual se obtuvo el
atuendo mortuorio estaba formado por alrededor de 1 140 volumen de la mascara. Una vez terminado este proceso,
piezas de jadeita, malaqui- las piezas fueron traslada-
ta , concha, hueso y perlas, das a un soporte definiti-
que se utilizaron para con- vo de resina para su pre-
feccionar ajorcas, pulseras sentacion museografica.
y orejeras. La segunda mascara, 10-
Entre los materiales 10- calizada a la altura de la
calizados destacan varias mana izquierda, esta for-
piezas rectangulares de co- mada por 106 placas de
lor verde manzana, las cua- jadeita, dos pia cas de ob-
les rodeaban parte del cra- sidiana redondas que for-
neo y el pecho, asi como man la pupila y cuatro pla-
una concentracion de pla- cas de concha que forman
quitas de jadeita, a manera el iris. Para su montaje se
de mosaico, entre las fa- siguio la misma tecnica
langes de la mana izquier- aplicada con la primera,
da y la pared oriente del aunque esta resulto de me-
sarcofago. La distribucion nores dimensiones.
y caracteristicas de estos En primer plano se yen el Palacio, el Templo de las La informacion recupe-
Inscripciones y, ala derecha, el Templo XIII ; al fondo,
objetos nos permitio in- rada durante la restaura-
el Grupo de las Cruces. Palenque, Chiapas.
ferir que se trataba de dos cion de estas mascaras per-
mascaras mortuorias. mite incrementar nuestros
La primera de ellas, 10- conocimientos sobre las
calizada alrededor del cra- practicas funerarias de Pa-
neo del personaje, esta for- lenque. Destaca el uso de
mada por 129 fragmentos malaquita en la elabora-
cubiertos de cinabrio. Des- cion de mascaras mortuo-
pues de su limpieza y su rias , ya que desconocemos
analisis en laboratorio se la existencia de este mate-
pudo determinar que 119 rial en otras tumbas ma-
de esos fragmentos esta- yas. El tamano y la ubi-
ban conformados por pla- cacion de la segunda mas-
cas de un mineral de color cara indican que quiza for-
verde llamado malaquita. maba parte del cinturon
El resto del material esta- ceremonial, en vista de su
ba formado por dos pla- cercania a las tres hachue-
cas de obsidiana redondas, las localizadas a la altura
que se utilizaron a mane- de la pe lvis , elementos
ra de pupilas, cuatro pla- Templo XIII 0 de la Reina Roja. Palenque, Chiapas. presentes en otros ente-
cas de jadeita que simula- rramientos mayas. El des-
ban el iris, y dos cuentas tubulares y dos circulares que cubrimiento de las mascaras de la Reina Roja se suma a
formaban las orejeras. Al tener todo el materiallimpio, se las descubiertas en las tumbas del Templo de las Inscrip-
separo de acuerdo a las capas registradas en la excava- ciones, del Templo XVIII-A y del Templo Olvidado, y con-
cion. Ademas, con apoyo en fotografias y en el levanta- firma el uso funerario de estos objetos por parte de la eli-
miento grafico a escala 1:1 , se reconstruyo el posible des- te gobernante de la antigua ciudad de Palenque.
plazamiento de las piezas cuando el soporte que las
sustentaba se degrado.
Para el montaje se hicieron mol des con una mezcla de Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz. Arque6logo. Director del Proyecto Arqueol6gi-
plastilina no grasa y cera de abeja, basados en los levan- co Palenque, INAH.

MASCARAS DE LA REI NA R OJA / 25

 LAS
MAsCARAS
DE JADE DE
DZIBANCHE,
QUINTANA
ROO
E NRIQUE NALDA

n Dzibanche se han encontrado cin-

E co mascaras de jade, cuatro de ellas
asociadas a entierros y una mas como par-
te de una ofrend a aislada , seguramente
vinculada al ritual de renovacion que sig-
nificaba la construccion de un nuevo tem-
plo y la destruccion parcial 0 total del que
quedaba oculto. De estas mascaras, una
es del CIasico Temprano y las restantes
del Clasico Tardio. EI niimero de teselas
con las que fueron farmadas es variable
y parece estar correlacionado con su epo-
ca: de 175 de la mascara del Clasico Tem-
prano se llega a 61 de la mascara de la
fase mas reciente del Clasico Tardio, pa-
sando por 142, 115 Y81 teselas de las mas-
caras de periodos intermedios. A estas
piezas hay que sumar las de concha na-
car y las de obsidiana que forman los ojos
y que se encuentran invariable mente en
todas las mascaras.
La del Clasico Temprano se localizo en
el edificio que remata la Acropolis del Gru-
po Kinichna , en una camara above dada
en la que se depositaron los restos de dos
individuos de diferente rango social y un
jaguar. La mascara se hallo en el area del
craneo de uno de los individuos, que es-
taba ataviado con profuSion de adornos ;
no es posible decidir si al momenta de la
inhumacion la mascara cubria el rostro 0
fue colocada a un lado. De haber sido 10
segundo, la mascara habria sido deposi-
tada muy cerca del rostro pues la cabeza
del individuo se encontro sobre un plato

Plaza Xibalba. Dzibanche,

Quintana Roo.
FOTO: ALBERTO Rlas

26 / ARQUEOLOG iA M EXICANA
 de ceramica, al igual que las teselas ,
que estaban desarticuladas por la de-
gradacion del pegamento utilizado
para unirlas y montarlas.
De las otras tres mascaras encon-
tradas en contextos de entierro, una
de ellas se localizo en una camara
Mascara funeraria. Templo II,
abovedada , la nllmero 2, del Edificio
Grupo Kinichna, Dzibanche. de los Cormoranes del Grupo Princi-
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAfcES pal del sitio. Al igual que la de Ki-
nichna , desconocemos la posicion
que tenia respecto al CraneD al mo-
mento de la inhumacion. De hecho,
no hay la seguridad de que, en efec-
to , haya formado parte del ajuar de
personaje alguno , pues en la camara
no se encontraron restos humanos; la
exist en cia del entierro se infiere por
la presencia de manchas de aparen-
te origen organico en el piso de la ca-
mara , asi como por la posicion de un
pectoral, un brazalete, la misma mas-
cara y otros adornos respecto a esas
manchas. En vista de estas condicio-
nes de aparente preselvacion nula de
los restos oseos, no puede sino pos-
tularse un posicionamiento general
de la mascara , proxima al supuesto
craneo .
De las otras dos mascaras "funera-
Mascara funeraria. Edificio 1, rias ", la evidencia sobre su posicion
Grupo Kinichna, Dzibanche. respecto al rostro es mas solida . Una
FQTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I AAfcES
se encontro en la camara inferior, la
numero 4, del Templo de los Cormo-
ranes. Se hallo sobre el hombro de-
recho del individuo inhumado, de in-
dudable alto rango a juzgar por la
abundancia y calidad de los objetos
ofrendados. La otra mascara se des-
cubrio en una cista en el nivel mas
alto del basamento del Edificio de los
Cormoranes, a escasos centimetros
por debajo del piso del templo. A di-
ferencia de la descubierta en la ca-
mara 4, la mascara en esta cista esta
asociada a la inhumacion de un indi-
viduo que no lleva ofrenda alguna ,
con excepcion de una navajilla y un
nucleo agotado , ambos de obsidiana.
Las condiciones de preservacion de
esta mascara permiten establecer sus
dimensiones antes de su deformacion
por degradacion del pegamento: 20
cm de altura y 14.5 cm de ancho. Fue
colocada sobre el hombro izquierdo
del individuo inhumado, a la altura
Edificio de los Cormoranes. Dzibanche. de la clavicula; curiosamente , y a di-

28 / ARQUEOLOGjA MEXlCANA
ferencia del resto de las mascaras, esta
ultima se encontr6 sin orejeras.
La diversidad de contextos en los
que se encontraron las cinco masca-
ras no permite una generalizaci6n
respecto a su funci6n. El jade, por si
mismo, sin duda tuvo una gran carga
simb6lica entre los mayas. No nece-
sariamente con el mismo Significado,
pero siempre fue considerado mate-
rial precioso. La proliferaci6n, en toda
epoca, de saqueos por los mismos
mayas para extraer objetos de jade
que fueron redepositados en nuevas
ofrendas da fe de esta valoraci6n.
Varios arque6logos, entre ellos Eric
Thompson, apoyado en el Chi/am Ba- Pendiente con personaje de rasgos
lam de Chumayel, han postulado la teotihuacanos y deformacion craneana.
idea de que el jade, por su color, te- Grupo Kinichna , Dzibanche.
FOTO: MICHAEL CALDERWOOD I RAiCES
nia como referente al maiz. Era, en
llltima instancia, simbolo de la vida
misma. Llama la atenci6n, entonces,
que forme parte de la parafernalia del
ritual de enterramiento, es decir, de
su contrario. Igual inc6gnita presen-
ta la muy extendida costumbre entre
los mayas de inhumar al individuo
con~una cuenta de jade en la boca . Figurilla. Grupo
Es mucho mas probable que el jade Kinichna, Dzibanche.
FOTO: MICHAEL CALDERWOOD I RA(CES
y las mascaras hayan tenido mllitipies
significados : el hecho de encontrar-
10 en entierros en cistas 0 camaras
abovedadas, asi como en escondri-
jos, indica que no es un material aso-
ciable a la vida ulterior de quienes
eran enterrados. El que esten asocia-
das a personajes de alto estatuto pero
tambien a individuos que, a juzgar
por la pobreza 0 ausencia de ofren-
da en su inhumaci6n, tenian un re-
conocimiento social mucho menor,
indica que no son necesariamente
simbolos de autoridad. El que, por 10
general, las mascaras se depositen no
sobre sino a un lado de la cabeza del
personaje inhumado, hace pensar
que se trata de insignias y que estas
son merecidas por individuos de di-
ferente rango. La recuperaci6n de
nuevas mascaras y el cuidadoso re-
gistro de su contexto sin duda arro-
jara luz sobre este enigma.

Enrique NaIda. Arque6logo y doctor en antro-

pologia. Investigador de la Direcci6n de In-
vestigaci6n y Conservaci6n del Patrimonio Ar-
queol6gico, INAH. Acropolis. Grupo Kinichna, Dzibanche.

MASCARAS DE D ZIBANCHE / 29
 LAS IVIAsCARAS
OXKINTOK"
PETER S CHMIDT S.
Palacio de Ch'ich . Oxkintok, Yucatan .
I gran sitio de Oxkintok, en el que se encontraron va-
E rias mascaras de mosaico, se localiza al oeste del es-
tado de Yucatan, cerca de los actuales limites con Cam-
peche y en las estribaciones de la serrania del Puuc.
Pertenece al municipio de Maxcanll y esta 55 km al suro-
este de Merida y 24 al noroeste de la antigua ciudad de
Uxmal.
En los llitimos afios , en Oxkintok se han llevado a cabo
dos proyectos arqueol6gicos importantes: entre 1986 y
1991 uno de caracter hispano-mexicano, dirigido por Mi-
guel Rivera Dorado; de 1996 a 2003 fue explorado y res-
taurado por Ricardo Velazquez Valades, investigador del
Centro INAH Yucatan.
En el sitio se encuentra una de las mayores concentra-
ciones de arquitectura monumental del norte de la penin-
sula de Yucatan, algunas de cuyas edificaciones se distin-
guen des de grandes distancias en la planicie, por su altura
y su volumen. Desafortunadamente, ellugar fue abando-
nado y experiment6 un saqueo sistematico durante mu-
chos a£ios, 10 cual ahora se trata de remediar y revertir con
los trabajos de los recientes proyectos.
30 I ARQUEOLOCLA M EXlCANA
DE
VUCATAN
En muchas de las estelas encontradas en Oxkintok se
registran los hechos y la vida de sus gobernantes. Sin em-
bargo, muchos de los textos son breves y las esculturas
no se encuentran en buen estado de conservaci6n, debi-
do a la avanzada erosi6n y a la destrucci6n provocada por
el saqueo.
Aqui presentamos dos piezas procedentes de tumbas
localizadas en el conjunto de edificios conocido como Gru-
po Ah Canul, uno de los principales del centro de Oxkin-
tok, constituido por 22 grandes edificios que se distinguen
por ser muy variados. En la parte sur predominan las lar-
gas edificaciones que llamamos palacios y, en el norte , pi-
ramides , templos , alta res y otras estructuras organizadas
alrededor de una gran plaza.
En el grupo, que tuvo una larga secuencia constructiva
y de ocupaci6n, se pueden apreciar dinteles que fueron
reutilizados en epocas posteriores y en los que se regis-
tran fechas correspondientes al Clasico Temprano, asi co-
mo un majestuoso palacio que muestra columnas escul-
pidas en forma humana , pertenecientes al Ciasico Tardio
y al Ciasico Terminal.
LA MAsCARA DE LA TuMBA 5 DE LA ESTRUCTURA CA-3

Se trata de una mascara de mosaico , casi de tamaiio natural ,

elaborada con jade, obsidiana y otros materiales . Procede de
la Tumba 5 de la Estructura CA-3 y fue localizada bajo dos pi-
sos del cuarto central del edificio, situado al norte del Grupo
Ah Canul y cuya funcion aun no ha sido aclarada.
Uno de los lados de la Estructura CA-3 delimita la plaza nor-
te del Grupo Ah Canul y otro ve, a traves de un amplio valle,
hacia la gran estructura de X-emtzil, en el punto mas alto de
la serrania. La estructura consta de tres crujias paralelas en
sentido este-oeste. En el piso de la parte central de la crujia
de en medio se encontro una oquedad de forma ovalada, en
cuyo fondo -una nivelacion sin acabado de estuco- yacia un
entierro secundario con su ofrenda , todo cubierto por una
burda construccion de tres lajas irregulares; los restos estaban
concentrados en la mitad este.
Los restos corresponden a un individuo maduro de sexo
masculino y fueron depositados sin orden anatomico, ya se- Mascara de mosaico, casi de tamano natural, elaborada
con jade, obsidiana y otros materiales. Procede de
cos y sin la masa corporea . La perdida de dentadura alm en
la Tumba 5 de la Estructura CA-3 de Oxkintok.
vida, las osificaciones y los rebordes osteofiticos son eviden- FOTO: IGNACIO GUEVARA f COORDINACI6N NACIONAL DE MUSEOS Y EXPQSICIONES ! INAN

cia de su avanzada edad (segun un estudio de Carlos Serrano

y Andres del Angel).
El ajuar funerario estaba compuesto por una vasija de ce-
ramica negra acanalada, tipo Mazul Acanalado; un collar com-
puesto por 13 cuentas anulares de concha y 13 de jade; una
espina de mantarraya, probablemente utilizada como instru-
meRto para autosacrificio; y la mascara de mosaico de jade y
otras piedras, objeto del presente articulo, la cual ha sido po-
sible restaurar con relativa facilidad, debido a que se con-
servo gran parte del soporte plastico formado por estuco re-
forzado con laminas de silex, fragmentos de ceramica y
conchas.
Estructura CA-3.
La superficie de la mascara estaba formada por plaquitas
de jade; los ojos, los labios y el tocado, por otros materiales
recortados y tallados para tal efecto. Tenia restos de pigmen- GRUPO All CANuL,
to rojo que originalmente cubria el exterior, el cual tal vez se
aplico en vida de quien uso la mascara (icomo parte del ata-
~ ~
~l
OxKINrOK,
YUCATAN
vio?) 0 en alglm otro ritual al momenta de la preparacion del
bulto mortuorio 0 del entierro mismo. Es probable que a este
mismo momenta corresponda una posible destruccion in ten-
cional de la mascara.
Tambien es muy posible que la mascara expresara de al-

l~=~
guna forma el rango del difunto, sea en vida como parte de
su atavio - como las mascaras que adornaban el cinturon ce-
remonial de los gobernantes-, 0 en el viaje al mas alla, como
parecen indicar algunas mascaras encontradas enfrente de la
cara 0 en la patte superior del bulto mortuorio.
12"'=0 "
~V'--T-' o
Vale la pena mencionar que tambien de Oxkintok (de la 0=

Tumba 1 del Satunsat) procede una mascara muy elaborada ,

~ rt==G
aun no restaurada , que con sus tres grandes placas sonoras,
ovaladas, es un tipico ejemplo de una mascara de cinturon
ceremonial.
Con base en la ceramica y en la arquitectura, podemos afir- ~

mar que la tumba CA-3/ 5, excavada gracias al proyecto me- En tumbas del conjunto de edificios conocido como Grupo
xicano-espaiiol en 1988, pertenece al Clasico Medio, alrede- Ah Canul, uno de los principales del centro de Oxkintok, se
dor de 550 a 630 d.C. han localizado algunas mascaras (estructuras CA-3 y CA-14).

MASCARAS DE OXKINTOK / 31
ELAVE DE LA TuMBA 8 DE LA ESTRUCTURA CA-14

Se trata de un pendiente en forma de cabeza de ave y esta

formado por mosaicos de concha y caracol. Se encontr6
en una tumba mucho mas formal y ricamente equipada, en
la subestructura num. 4 de la Estructura CA-14. Es una cons-
trucci6n de gran altura que sobresale en la parte oeste del
grupo y ve , a traves de la gran plaza , hacia los grupos Ah
May, Satunsat y Ah Dzib. Este edificio fue excavado en 2001
por el Proyecto Oxkintok del INAH , bajo la direcci6n del ar-
que610go Ricardo Velazquez Valades (q.e.p.d.).
Durante las excavaciones, que tenian como finalidad
explorar las subestructuras y aclarar la secuencia cons-
tructiva, se encontr6 la tumba mencionada en la parte sur
del edificio, en el piso asociado con la cuarta subestruc-
tura, sobresaliendo ligeramente, por 10 cual existe la po-
sibilidad de que se haya introducido poco antes de edifi-
car la siguiente fase arquitect6nica.
La tumba esta formada por piedras regulares labradas.
Es de forma rectangular y estaba techada por tres filas de
lajas, dos de elias sobresaliendo de las paredes largas y
la ultima cerrando la tumba , cuyo interior se habia con-
servado casi vado de escombro y relleno , 10 que mues-
tra que formaba parte de la arquitectura. Desafortunada-
mente , el entierro estaba muy mal conservado y las
osamentas, que estan en estudio, muy fragmentadas. Se-
gun informaci6n del arque610go Ricardo Velazquez y de
sus ayudantes , pareda tratarse de un esqueleto colocado
boca arriba , con la cabeza hacia el este, que , segt:ln una
primera evaluaci6n antropol6gica, perteneda a un indi-

EI arque61ogo Ricardo Velazquez en la Tumba 8 de la

Estructura CA-14, durante la excavaci6n de enero de 2001 .

viduo de sexo masculino de entre 12 y 14 anos. Tenia ,

Pendiente en forma de cabeza de ave formado por mosaicos de
concha y caracol. Procede de la Tumba 8 de la Estructura CA-14.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAfCES
por 10 menos, dos dientes afilados con incrustaciones re-
dondas de jade.
EI esqueleto estaba revuelto con la delgada capa de tie-
rra y guijarros que se habia filtrado a la tumba , de la que
sobresallan el cubito, el radio , el h(imero, dos vertebras,
fragmentos del craneo, el femur izquierdo y parte del pie.
Distribuida a su alrededor, y en parte sobre el difunto,
se encontr6 una rica ofrend a de ceramica, con objetos de
adorno personal para el viaje al mas alia y algunos instru-
mentos que tal vez 10 identifican como especialista en al-
guna altesania propia de la elite y en la escritura.
Destacan nueve vasijas de ceramica, dos de las cuales
muestran un importante contenido iconografico. Estan cu-
biertas de relieves en el estilo lIamado Chochola, con un
banG de hematita que fue aplicado despues de la cocci6n.
Una es un cajete con representaciones de la serpiente bi-
cefala y la otra , un vasa que parece mostrar la boca des-
carnada del inframundo, el arbol del mundo y pajaros y
dioses. Las demas vasijas son mas sencillas: dos cajetes,
otro va so y cuatro platos tripodes de diferentes tipos.

32 I ARQUEOLOGiA MEXICANA
 Tambien se localizaron cinco a
cuentas de piedra verde -cuatro de
ellas globulares y una tubular-, una
orejera anular del mismo material,
un pendiente sen cillo de concha
Spondylus, quince instrumentos de
lmeso largo y la mascara de pajaro
motivo de este trabajo. Compuesta
originalmente de numerosas pia cas
de diferentes materiales de molus-
co y hueso , la mascara estaba total-
mente desbaratada y dispersa. Por
el contrario, los lmesos estan sor- b __- - - - - , - - - - -,
prendentemente bien conservados
y entre ellos se encuentran: cinco
agujas largas, ocho espatulas con la
representacion de una mana con
brazalete en un extrema y puntas
o paletas en el otro, as! como un
lmeso en forma de aguja con una
larga inscripcion jerogllfica.
Las espatulas se parecen mucho
a los instrumentos que escribanos,
o animales representados como es- Como parte de la of rend a de la Tumba 8 de la Estructura CA-14 destacan varias
cribanos, llevan en la mana en las vasijas de ceramica con relieves en el estilo lIamado Chochola. Una muestra
escenas que se yen en vasos poli- representaciones de la serpiente bicefala (a) y otra la boca descarnada
cromos. Para este proposito, tal vez del inframundo, el arbol del mundo y pajaros y dioses (b).
DlBUJOS: ARCHIVO MUSEQ REGIONAL DE YUCATAN
se les amarraba una fina brocha en
la punta. La pieza que proporciona
mayor infom1acion, junto con el mas- ~
caron y los vas os grabados, es sin CO]
duda el hueso con inscripcion, que ~
todavia espera una detallada lectu-
ra. Hasta ahora solo se sabe (gracias
a informacion preliminar de David
;
~
Stuart) que se consigna como su due- CD
~
flo a un rey de Oxkintok, a quien
tambien se alude en otros textos y
vasijas de ceramica del sitio. Su fe- J!k
~
chamiento en la primera parte del
Clasico Tardio (650-750 d.C.) co-
rresponde perfectamente con 10 que ~

~
la ceramica nos indica. La asociacion
del personaje enterrado en la Tum-
ba 8 con la clase gobernante se com-
prueba por la riqueza de la ofrend a .mp.)
y por la posicion privilegiada del en- Espatulas similares a los instrumentos que ~
tierro, aunque su corta edad repre- escribanos, 0 ani males representados como
escribanos, lIevan en la mana en las escenas que
®
\=:;,
senta un reto para la investigacion. se ven en vasos policromos. Formaban parte de
la ofrend a de la Tumba 8 de la Estructura CA-14.
@
Peter Schmidt S. Doctor en arqueologia por la FOTO: ARCHIVO PAQYECTO OXKINTOK

Universidad de Hamburgo. Comisionado de

Arqueologia de Belice 0968-1973). Director
del Proyecto Arqueol6gico Huejotzingo, Pue-
bla CFundaci6n Alemana) de 1973 a 1977. In-
vestigador del inah desde 1977. Director del
Museo Regional de Antropologia de Yucatan
0983-1993) y del Proyecto Arqueol6gico Chi-
chen Itza, de 1993 a la fecha.
Como parte de la of rend a de la Tumba 8 de la Estructura CA-14
tambien se localizo un hueso con inscripcion, del cual hasta ahora
solo se sabe que se consigna como su dueiio a un rev de Oxkintok, a
quien tam bien se alude en otros textos y vasijas de ceramica del sitio.
DIBUJO: ARCHIVO MUSED REGIONAL DE YUCATAN

MAsCARAS DE OXKINTOK / 33
 Rostros mayas
- Linaje y poder
u
U
J
o Por siglos, los mayas antiguos han capturado nuestra

o
~
imaginaci6n. Los restos de sus senoriales ciudades han
atraido a viajeros, artistas , historiadores, coleccionistas,
arque6logos, restauradores y, en las ultimas decadas,
epigrafistas. Por mucho tiempo se consider6 que los
I- mayas eran una civilizaci6n misteriosa, un lejano
Z pueblo teocratico que, a pesar de habitar en uno de los
ambientes naturales mas dificiles de dominar, consigui6
levantar magnificas ciudades que al final fueron
devoradas por la selva. Hoy en dia , gracias al trabajo
conjunto de esos especialistas, podemos decir que el
misterio de los mayas empieza a develarse. Asi, en esta
exposici6n se presentan interpretaciones novedosas y
piezas poco conocidas, gracias a los avances en los
estudios de la cultura maya de las tres ultimas decadas.
Entre otros multiples temas, en la muestra se ofrece un
acercamiento a los ajawo 'ob, "gobernantes", de las
ciudades mayas , ala organizaci6n politica y social que
presidieron, a los cultos relacionados con su apoteosis
ya los objetos que reflejan fielmente su poder.
En la exposici6n se reunen, por primera vez,
mascaras de jadeita procedentes de los actuales estados
de Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan y Quintana Roo , las
cuales permiten analizar, desde diversos puntos de
vista, los rostros de los gobernantes en la sociedad
maya del periodo Ci<isico (200-900 d.C) .

Tablero. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Tonina,

Chiapas. Piedra. Museo de sitio, Tonina.
Panel. Late Classic (Ad 600-900). Stone.
FOlD: CARLOS BLANCO I RAICES

34 / ARQUEOLOGIA MEXICANA
Mascaron. Clasico Temprano (200-600 d.C.). Sur de Campeche.
Estuco. 96 x 70 cm. Museo Nacional de Antropologfa.
Mask. Early Classic (AD 200-600). Stucco.
FOTO: JORGE P~REZ DE LARA I RAfcES I INAH

I NTRODUCCI6N / 35
 o
-
-

El territorio maya abarca cinco estados del Mexico

oJ moderno y algunas regiones de Guatemala, El Salvador

y Honduras. Los antiguos habitantes de esta zona de
contrastes ambientales, que incluyen desde las costas y
las Tierras Bajas hasta los altiplanos chiapaneco y
(D guatemalteco, gozaron de abundantes recursos
- naturales, los cuales eran explotados y aprovechados
sin restricciones. Otros recursos, como la obsidian a y el
basalto de Guatemala, la jade1ta del valle del r10
Motagua y el pedernal del sur de Campeche, tuvieron
una circulacion mas restringida, ya que su comercio
estaba controlado por la elite gobernante. El
.J intercambio con otras regiones de Mesoamerica
W permitio la llegada de materiales lujosos yexoticos,
entre ellos conchas del oceano Pacifico y de las costas
de los actuales estados de Sinaloa, Nayarit, ]alisco y
Michoacan, as! como diferentes "piedras verdes" de
Guerrero.
Los primeros asentamientos mayas se remontan al
Preclasico. Alrededor de 400 a.c. se construyeron los
primeros grandes asentamientos, que contaban con
enormes basamentos piramidales y monumentos
conmemorativos, en Nakbe, El Mirador y Calakmul.
Hacia 200 d.C., a principios del Clasico, el desarrollo de
la escritura permitio registrar en piedra, de manera
detallada, las acciones de los gobernantes de cada
ciudad. En este periodo tambien se desarrollo la
mayor parte de los grandes centros pollticos, como
Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, Tonina , Yaxchilan, Edzna,
Oxkintok y Dzibanche, entre otros. Alrededor de 900
d.C. la mayoria de las ciudades fueron abandonadas. Es
posible que la alta densidad de poblacion y la
sobreexplotacion de los recursos naturales provocaran
la crisis y el declive del orden polltico y economico de
las ciudades mayas del Clasico. Sin embargo, los mayas
continuaron habitando el sureste mexicano, y sus
descendientes se encuentran aun entre nosotros.

36 / ARQ UEOLOG!A MEXICANA

 ROSTROS IVIAVAS

~ Y UCATAN
e
CmcHEN ITZA

COZUMEL

GOLFO DE
MEXICO eEDZNA

CAMPECHE
Champoton
e Sitio arqueoJ6gico
e Sitio con mascaras de jade

e
XICALANCO

Candelaria
fABASCO Palizada
CALAKMULe

Rio AzuL e
e ,
AKBE UAXACTUN
e
TIKAL e BELICE

NARANJOe
TONINA e
e CARACOL

CHIAPAS GOLFO DE
T IERRAS BAJAS HONDURAS
DEL SUR

E L MIRADOR C HICHEN IrzA TULUM

MAYAPAN
MAVA . . UlI1MAL IXIMCHE

Preclasico Tardio CJasico Temprano Clasico Tardio Posclasico Temprano Posclasico Tardio ~
:5
XOCHICALCO TULA TENOCHTITLAN ~
CUICUILCO M ONTE IALBAN >

MESOAMIlERICA" T EOTIHUACAN CACAXTLA

TAJiN
TOTONACOS TARASCOS
!
~
8
arql.!,~,9.19gia ~
 r.n
w
I-
Z
<
Z
Ct!
w
OJ
o(D
o
'Xl
o Durante el Clasico (200-900 d.C.) ocurri6 el auge y
abandono de numerosos asentamientos situ ados en las
llanuras y montanas del sureste mexicano. Esos
asentamientos hoy son considerados como ciudades
por las diversas actividades que en ellos se realizaban,
como la maufacturaci6n de diversos articulos, los
rituales y ceremonias especializados, y otras no
relacionadas directamente con la agricultura 0 la
subsistencia, ala manera de nuestras modernas urbes.
El control de recursos y poblaciones menores ocasion6
rivalidades entre linajes, que frecuentemente se
dirimieron mediante enfrentamientos armados. Estas
ciudades compartieron rasgos culturales comunes,
como simbolos religiosos, arquitectura y escritura,
aunque con variaciones regionales. Un aspecto
sobresaliente fue la consolidaci6n en el poder de un
grupo gobernante que ejercia el control politiCO y
militar sobre el res to de los pobladores. Los
gobernantes justificaban su ascenso al poder por la
pertenencia a un linaje prestigioso que proclamaba un
origen divino. La sobrevivencia dellinaje gobernante
incluia demostraciones de su riqueza , como la
construcci6n de ostentosos palacios y templos
decorados con numerosos retratos de los gobernantes
que los edificaron.
Los ajawo 'ob 0 gobernantes estaban investidos con
la maxima autoridad terrenal y tambien eran los
mediadores para comunicarse con 10 divino, de ahi el
origen del titulo k 'uhul ajaw, "sagrado senor". Ademas,
se les identificaba con el Dios del Maiz, el cual era
representado como un joven en la plenitud de la vida;
por eso, a pesar de que podian ser de edad avanzada ,
casi siempre se representaba a los gobernantes con
aspecto juvenil.

38 / ARQ EOLOGjA MExI CANA

Tablero Oval de la Casa E del Palacio. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.).
Piedra. Zona arqueologica de Palen que, Chiapas.
Oval Slab. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Stone.
FOTO: GUILLERMO ALDANA I RAlcES

Lo s AJA IVO 'OB 0 GOBERNANTES / 39

 Cabeza humana. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Ek' Salam, Yucatan. Estuco. 35 x 18 cm.
Museo Regional de Antropologia Palacio Canton, Merida, Yucatan.
Human head. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Stucco.
FaTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I AA(CES I INAH

40 I A RQUEOLOG iA M EXICANA
Cabeza humana. Clasieo Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Hormiguero,
Campeehe. Estueo. 42 x 18 em. Centro INAH Campeehe.
Human head. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Stucco.
FOTO: MARCO ANTONIO PACHECO I RAfcES

L os AjAIVO'OBO GOBERNANTES / 41
 Cabeza humana. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Ek' Balam, Yucatan. Estuco.
32 x 16.2 cm. Museo Regional de Antropologia Palacio Canton, Merida, Yucatan.
Human head. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Stucco.
FOTO: JORGE P~REZ DE LARA I RAfcES / INAH

42 / ARQUEOLOG!A M EXICANA
Cabeza humana. Clasieo Tardio (600-900 d.C.). EI Palacio, Palen que, Chiapas.
Estueo. 35 x 17 em. Museo de sitio Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, Palenque, Chiapas.
Human head. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Stucco.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAiCES I INAH

Los AJA \VA 'OB 0 GOBERNANTES / 43

 C!
w
o
o
Q.
.J
W
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Por su color y por tratarse de un material poco comun,

el jade tuvo , desde la epoca olmeca, al menos dos
significados: uno simbolico, relacionado con la
reno va cion anual de la naturaleza que se vincula al
cicio agricola , y otro economico, pues su rareza y uso
restringido Ie imprimieron un alto valor, 10 que explica
la reutilizacion frecuente de piezas, algunas de elias
probablemente heredadas de genera cion en
generacion. Una buena parte de los objetos que
portaban los ajawo 'oberan de jade, entre ellos orejeras,
pendientes, pectorales, cinturones y cetros, todos
simbolos de poder.
En el area maya y en Centroamerica, el jade se
encuentra en forma de jadeita y OU"OS minerales, como
el diopsido, el crisopacio, la albita , la serpentina, la
ureyita y la malaquita, todos de una coloracion de
tonos verdosos y azulados. Aunque la jadeita se
distingue por ser translucida , el uso de los otros
minerales con tonalidades verdosas por parte de los
antiguos mayas sugiere que simbolicamente eran
equivalentes.
El yacimiento de jadeita mejor conocido se
encuentra en el valle del rio Motagua, en Guatemala,
de donde era trasladado al resto del area maya y a los
actuales Honduras y Costa Rica. Por su parte, la
serpentina y la malaquita (en ocasiones genericamente
conocidas como "piedras verdes") son abundantes
fuera del area maya, por ejemplo en el estado de
Guerrero. Otros objetos de gran importancia simbolica
fueron elaborados con conchas del oceano Padfico y
con pedernal, materiales exoticos y de gran valor.

44 / ARQ EOLOGiA MEXI CANA

Collares y orejeras. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Estructura 2, Grupo Principal, Dzibanche, Quintana Roo.
Jadeita. Collares: medidas maximas: 4.7 x 2.7 cm; orejeras: 4.5 x 1.7 cm. Centro INAH Quintana Roo.
Necklaces and earllares. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAICES I INAH

Pendientes en forma de carapacho de tortuga. Ch:lsico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Estructura 4, Grupo,
Kinichna, Dzibanche, Quintana Roo. Jadeita. Largo: 2 cm ; diametro: 1.2 cm. Centro INAH Quintana Roo.
Pendants shaped like turtle 's shell. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite.
FOTO: MICHAEL CALDERWOOD I AAfcES

SiMBO LOS DEL PO DER / 45

 Pendiente con figura humana. Clásico Tardío (600-900 d.C.). Cenote de Chichén Itzá, Yucatán.
Jadeíta. 10.5 x 7 cm. Museo Regional de Antropología Palacio Cantón, Mérida, Yucatán.
Pendant with the representation of a human figure. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite.
FOTO JORGE PÉREZ DE LAAA I RAfeES I INAH

46 / ARQ UEO LOG IA MEXICANA

Pendiente en forma de cabeza de ave. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Tumba 8, Grupo Ah Canul, Oxkintok, Yucatan.
Concha, obsidiana y estuco. 12.5 x 10.5 cm. Museo Regional de Antropologia Palacio Canton, Merida, Yucatan.
Pendant shaped like a bird "s head. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Shell, obsidian and stucco.
FOTOS: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAicES f INAH

SiMBOLOS DEL PODER / 47

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Los antiguos mayas creian que al

morir los individuos iniciaban
un viaje hacia el inframundo,
como 10 denota la expresion
ochah-bi, que significa "entro en
el camino", en alusion a la senda
hacia las profundidades de la
tierra que debia seguir el recien
faHecido. La ubicacion del
entierro y la calidad de la
ofrend a dependian de la
posicion social del individuo.
Como muestra del alto rango
social que detentaron, los
ajawo 'ob eran sepultados dentro
de amplias camaras subterraneas
con un rico ajuar funerario,
acompaiiados a veces por los
cuerpos de personas
sacrificadas. Entre los m(iltiples
objetos deposita dos, las
mascaras de jade Haman la
atencion. Se han identificado
dos tipos: las mascaras-retrato,
que por 10 general cubr'ian el

48 / ARQUEOLOGiA MEXICANA
rostro de los sepultados, y otras
de menor tamano que formaban
parte de cinturones y cetros.
Crono16gicamente, la mayo ria
de ellas pertenece al Clasico,
aunque su origen se remonta
hasta la tradici6n olmeca del
PrecIasico. Geognificamente, se
han recuperado en
practicamente toda el area maya ,
aunque con mayor frecuencia en
las grandes capitales pollticas,
como Calakmul y Palenque, en
Mexico, y Tikal, en Guatemala.
Consideradas como
representaciones fieles del
difunto en la plenitud de su
vida, las mascaras permitian
equiparar al gobernante con el
Dios del Maiz, que, como el
grano sembrado en la tierra ,
esperaba su oportunidad para
retornar en forma de vegetaci6n
nueva al continuar el cicIo
anual.

MASCARAS: ROSTROS DE LA MUERTE I 49

 Mascara. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Tumba 4, Estructura II, Calakmul, Campeche.
Jadeita, concha y obsidiana. 28.2 x 21.5 cm. Centro INAH Campeche.
Mask. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite, shell and obsidian.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I AAICES / INAH

50 I ARQUEOLOGlA MEX ICANA

Mascara. Clasico Temprano (200-600 d.C.). Tumba 1, Estructura 11-0, Calakmul,
Campeche. Jadefta, concha y obsidiana. 19 x 15 cm. Centro INAH Campeche.
Mask. Early Classic (AD 200-600). Jadeite, shell and obsidian.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAfCES I INAH

MAsCAR~S: ROSTROS DE LA MUERTE / 51

 Cintur6n ceremonial. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Tumba 3, Templo Olvidado, Palen que, Chiapas.
Jadelta. Mascara: 9.5 x 10.2 cm; hachas, largo maximo: 11.5 cm. Museo Nacional de Antropologla.
Ceremonial belt. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite.
FQTOS: JORGE P~REZ DE LARA I RAiCES I INAH

52 / ARQUEOLOG IA MEXlCANA
Cintur6n ceremonial. Clasico Temprano (200-600 d.C.). Tumba 3, Templo XVIII-A, Palenque, Chiapas. Jadefta, concha,
obsidiana y piedra. Mascara: 13 x 10 cm; hachas: 22 x 7 cm. Museo de sitio Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, Palenque, Chiapas.
Ceremonial belt. Early Classic (AD 200-600). Jadeite, shell, obsidian and stone.
FOTOS: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAlcES / INAH

MASCARAS: ROSTROS DE LA MUERTE I 53

 Mascara de la Reina Roja. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Tumba, Templo XIII, Palenque, Chiapas.
Malaquita, jadeita y obsidiana. 25 x 19 cm. Museo de sitio Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, Palenque, Chiapas.
Mask of the Red Queen. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Malachite, jadeite, and obsidian.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA f RA(CES I INAH

54 / ARQUEOLOCIA MEXlCANA
J

Mascara. Clasico Temprano (200-600 d.C.). Tumba 5, Estructura 3, Grupo Ah Canul,

Oxkintok, Yucatan. Jadeita, concha y obsidiana. 22 x 18 cm. Centro INAH Yucatan.
Mask. Early Classic (AD 200-600). Jadeite, shell and obsidian.
FOTO: IGNACIO GUEVARA I COOADtNACl6N NACtONAL DE MUSEOS Y EXPOStCIONES, INAH

MASCARAS: ROSTROS DE LA MUERTE / 55

 Mascara. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Tumba, Estructura III, Calakmul, Campeche. Jadeita,
concha y pirita. Mascara: 23.5 x 18 cm; orejeras: diametro, 9 cm. Centro INAH Campeche.
Mask. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite, shell and pirite.
FOTOS: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAJces , INAH

56 / ARQUEOLOGiA MEXICANA
Mascara. Clasico Temprano (200-600 d.C.). Camara central, Tumba 1, Edificio 1, Grupo Kinichna, Dzibanche, Quintana Roo.
Jadeita, concha y cristal de roca. Mascara: 21 .2 x 15.1 cm; orejeras: diametro, 6.4 cm. Centro INAH Quintana Roo.
Mask. Early Classic (AD 200-600). Jadeite, shell and rock crystal.
FOTQS: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAfcES I INAH

MASCARAS: ROSTROS DE LA MUERTE / 57

 Mascara. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Camara 3, Tumba 1, Templo II, Grupo Kinichna,
Dzibanche, Quintana Roo. Jadeita, concha y obsidiana. 22.3 x 15.3 cm. Centro INAH Campeche.
Mask. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite, shell and obsidian.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAiCES I INAH

58 / ARQUEOLOGjA MEXICANA
 Mascara. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Tumba, Templo XIII 0 de la Reina Roja, Palenque, Chiapas.
Jadeita, concha y obsidiana. 12.8 x 8.3 cm. Museo de sitio Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, Palenque, Chiapas.
Mask. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Jadeite, shell and obsidian.
FOlO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAfcES I INAH

MASCARAS: ROSTROS DE LA MUERTE / 59

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En 1952 se realiz6 en Palenque un descubrimiento que
marc6 el desarrollo posterior de la arqueologia maya.
W AI excavar el interior del Templo de las Inscripciones,
el arque610go Alberto Ruz Lhuillier encontr6 la primera
C! tumba de la realeza en Mesoamerica. Investigaciones
.J posteriores han demostrado que el edificio fue
construido para albergar los restos de K'inich]anaab'
W Pakal, "Escudo Ave- ]anaab' de Rostro Solar", personaje
que gobern6 Palenque entre 615 y 683 d .C, durante
la epoca de su consolidaci6n como centro de poder
politico regional. Gracias a este hallazgo hoy sabemos
que un gran numero de los grandes basamentos
piramidales de la epoca prehispanica fueron
construidos para honrar a gobernantes especificos
y no s610 a deidades.
En el borde de la tapa del sarc6fago de Pakal se
narran acontecimientos hist6ricos de su vida y la de
sus antepasados , fechas de nacimiento, entronizaci6n
y muerte , yen el frente de la tapa se plasm6 el
momenta de su descenso al mundo de los muel10s,
con el gobernante representado en la plenitud de su
vida y con rasgos del dios K'awiil, patrono de los
gobernantes y de la agricultura.
Tras su muerte , Pakal se transform6 en el antepasado
mas prestigioso de la dinastia local, 10 que fue asentado
en las inscripciones posteriores a su reinado al
asignarle titulos como "senor de la piramide", en
referencia al importante lugar que pas6 a ocupar en la
imaginaci6n colectiva.

60 / ARQUEOLOGiA MEXICANA
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La mascara que cubria el rostro de Pakal es ya un

objeto emblematico de la arqueologia maya. Elaborada
para su ajuar funerario, originalmente constaba de unas
300 piezas de jade, llamadas teselas , colocadas sobre
un armazon de estuco y madera. Al momenta de su
hallazgo, la mascara habia perdido su sopone y las
teselas estaban desatticuladas. Gracias a un minucioso
registro del contexto, Alberto Ruz logro hacer un
primer montaje en el que muchas de las piezas fueron
colocadas en su posicion original, aunque el rostro no
mostraba un aspecto natural. En montajes posteriores
se intento corregir este problema, modificando
arbitrariamente la posicion de los mosaicos.
Transcurridos 50 afios, los materiales del sopone
moderno estaban deformados , 10 que pollia en riesgo
la estabilidad de la pieza.
Ante esto, se decidio emprender una reconstruccion
fidedigna de la mascara , sobre un nuevo sopone. Un
equipo interdisciplinario analiza numerosos dibujos y
fotografias de la excavacion, 10 que permitio ubicar la
mayoria de las piezas en su posicion original. Despues,
con base en los rasgos anatomicos, el volumen , la
simetria y los biseles de los mosaicos, fue posible
completar este complicado rompecabezas. Hoy, la
mascara es nuevamente un rett'ato fiel del importante
soberano.

62 / ARQUEOLOciA MEXICANA
 Copia fiel del montaje de 1954. Resina,
poliester, cristal y acrilicos. 22.7 x 17.1 cm.
Faithful copy of the 1954 assembly. Resin,
polyester, crystal and acrylics.
FOTO: JORGE P~REZ DE LARA I AAJCES I INAH

Reproduccion de la mascara de Pakal, elaborada en

2003 con jadefta de Guatemala. 24.3 x 18.3 cm.
Reproduction of the mask of Pakal, made
in 2003. Guatemala's jadeite.
FOTO: IGNACIO GUEVARA I COORDINACION NACIONAl DE MUSEOS Y EXPOSICrQNES, INAH

Montaje museografico original. Papel, adhesivo

natural, yeso, poliuretano y plastilina. 22.2 x 17.5 cm.
Original museographic assembly. Paper, natural
adhesive, plaster, polyurethane and modelling clay.
FOTO~ JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RA fCES / lNAH

UN ROSTRO DESCUBIERTO / 63
 C!
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4: EI desarrollo de la escritura permiti6 el registro de los
w eventos realizados por el ajaw 0 gobernante de cada
ciudad. Las inscripciones que se conservan son la
Z memoria de las acciones de los ajawo 'ob 0
w gobernantes: edificaciones realizadas durante su
gobierno, participaci6n en acciones militares,
(D matrimonios y designaci6n de herederos. Por otro lado,
se conocen tambien los llamados glifos emblema, que
identifican los territorios gobernados por las ciudades y
sus nombres.
Los nombres de gobernantes que se han descifrado
hasta hoy son parte de secuencias mas largas de
nombres y titulos, en la mayoria de los cuales se
inc1uyen tambien nombres de deidades y de otros seres
sobrenaturales. En algunas ciudades se ha identificado
la preferencia por algunos nombres, utilizados en varias
generaciones sucesivas, como Yuknoom, en Calakmul;
Itzamnaaj B'alam, en Yaxchilan, y Ahkal Mo' Nahb', en
Palenque.
Aunque la sucesi6n al poder se establecia por linea
paterna, cuando los acontecimientos politicos 10
ameritaban tambien era aceptada la linea materna. La
mayoria de los gobernantes perteneci6 al genero
masculino, aunque en sitios como Palenque y Naranjo
algunas mujeres heredaron su derecho a gobernar y
ascendieron al poder. Los hijos de los gobernantes
recibian el titulo de ch 'ok, "joven [principe]", mientras
que el hijo mayor era llamado b'aah ch 'ok, "heredero
principal" .
En fechas recientes se han encontrado entierros
femeninos con abundantes ofrend as , asociados 0 en
cercania a los entierros de los gobernantes de Copan,
Pale nque y Calakmul. Aunque la identidad de estas
mujeres en ocasiones no se consigna, esta asociaci6n
sugiere que se trataba de las esposas principales
de los gobernantes.

64 / ARQUEOLOGlA MEXICANA
 Va so con textos glifieos. Clasieo Tardio (600-900 d.C.).
Tumba 4, Estruetura II, Calakmul, Campeehe. Ceramiea.
Altura: 16.5 em; diametro: 10.5 em. Centro INAH, Campeehe.
Vase with glyphic inscription. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTO: IGNACIO GUEVARA I CooRDINACION NACIONAL DE MUSEOS Y EXPQSICIONES, INAH

Va so con textos glifieos. Clasieo Tardio (600-900 d.C.).

Tumba 4, Estruetura II, Calakmul, Campeehe. Ceramiea.
Altura: 16 em ; diametro: 10 em. Centro INAH Campeehe.
Vase with glyphic inscription. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FQTO: IGNACIO GUEVARA I CooRDINACION NACIONAL DE MUSEOS Y EXPOSICIONES, INAH

GENEALOGiA DEL PODER / 65

 Vaso. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Quintana Roo. Ceramica.
Altura: 12.3 cm; diametro: 10.7 cm. Centro INAH Quintana Roo.
Vase. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTOS: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA { RAicES I INAH

66 1 ARQUEOLOGjA M EXICANA
Vaso. Clasieo Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Quintana Roo. Ceramiea.
Altura: 18 em; diametro: 11 .5 em. Centro INAH Quintana Roo.
Vase. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTOS JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAicES I INAH

GENEALOGIA DEL rODER I 67

 (fJ
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(fJ Los mayas tenian un vinculo constante con sus

«c. muertos. Los antepasados mas importantes de cada

linaje eran honrados y respetados por sus
descendientes. Se creia que los antepasados residian en
w el inframundo y estaban en contacto con las deidades,
por 10 cual podian interceder en favor de sus
I- descendientes con una fuerza sagrada y, por 10 tanto,
Z venerada. Los antepasados de cada familia eran

« recordados en santuarios familiares situados dentro de

la casa, mientras que los de la realeza eran
conmemorados publicamente en los templos
(fJ

o.J
construidos sobre sus tumbas. Conocemos tanto las
caracteristicas del culto a los antepasados como la
parafernalia ritual que era utilizada. Con espinas de
mantarraya y navajas de obsidiana se realizaban

« autosacrificios para obtener sangre, que era

posteriormente quemada con copal en incensarios. Las

o
I-
volutas de humo adoptaban la forma de una serpiente
y se creia que de sus fauces emergia el antecesor. AI
parecer, la serpiente se asociaba con la regeneraci6n
constante de la vida, por 10 que tambien plantas y
.J
arboles se identificaban con los antepasados.
::J Los recintos clvicos de las ciudades fueron el espacio

U dedicado al culto de los antepasados de la realeza ,

quienes intercedian tanto por el bienestar comunitario
como por la continuidad dellinaje gobernante. Algunos
.J
investigadores han sugerido que cada etapa de la vida
W del gobernante tenia un paralelo en el ciclo anual de la
planta de maiz. De tal manera, al colocarles mascaras
de jade como parte de su ajuar funerario , los
gob ern antes y el resto de los pobladores quedaban
unidos simb6licamente por un in teres comtm: la
subsistencia.
En esta exposici6n hemos visto algunos de los
rostros de los gobernantes que fueron venerados como
antepasados protectores de las antiguas ciudades
mayas. Se trata de personas con nombres propios,
rasgos caracteristicos y una presencia constante en los
centros urbanos, pues sus restos yacieron en el interior
de construcciones especiales y sus rostros aun decoran
edificios publicos. Son rostros mayas que, a mas de un
milenio de distancia , comenzamos a reconocer.

68 / ARQUEOLOGiA M EXICANA
Portaineensario con efigie humana. Clasieo Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Santuario del Edifieio 3, Grupo B,
Palen que, Chiapas. Ceramiea. 92 x 55 em. Museo de sitio Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, Palenque, Chiapas.
Incense holder with human effigy. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTO: JORGE PEAEZ DE LARA I RAfcES / lNAH

EL CULTO A LOS ANTEPASADOS REALES / 69

 Plato. Cllisico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Xcambo, Yucatan . Ceramica. Altura: 10.1 cm ;
diametro: 32 cm. Museo Regional de Antropologla Palacio Canton, Merida, Yucatan.
Plate. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTO: IGNACIO GUEVARA I COOAOINACION NACIONAL DE MUSEOS Y EXPOSICIONES, INAH

70 / ARQUEOLOG IA MEXICANA
Vaso con textos glificos y motivos animales. Clasico TardIo (600-900 d.C.). Tumba 4, Estructura II,
Calakmul, Campeche. Ceramica. Altura: 15 cm; diametro: 10 cm. Centro INAH Campeche.
Vase with glyphic inscription and animal motifs. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAICES / INAH

EL CULTO A LOS ANTEPASADOS REALES / 71

 Vasija con tapa. Clasieo Temprano (200-600 d.C.). Tumba 2, Estruetura IV-B, Calakmul,
Campeehe. Ceramiea. Altura: 30 em ; diametro: 13.5 em. Centro INAH Campeehe.
Bowl with lid. Early Classic (AD 200-600). Clay.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAIcES I INAH

72 / A RQUEOLOGIA M EA1CANA
 Plato. Clasico Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Xcambo, Yucatan. Ceramica. Altura: 11.7 cm ;
diametro: 30.2 cm. Museo Regional de Antropologla Palacio Canton, Merida, Yucatan.
Plate. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA I RAiCES I INAH

EL CULTO A LOS ANTEPASADOS REALES / 73

 Figurilla. Clasieo Tardio (600-900 d.C.). Jaina, Campeehe.
Ceramiea. 22 x 8 em. Centro INAH Campeehe.
Figurine. Late Classic (AD 600-900). Clay.
FOTO: JORGE PEREZ DE LARA ' RAlcES I INAH

74 I ARQUEOLOG iA M EXlCANA
 FOREVVORD
The title of this exhibition will likely suggest a paradox to the
visitor: an exhibit of masks - whose purpose is to hide the face
that allows for an approximation to a typology of faces. The first
definition of a mask that comes to mind is that relative to the
hiding of the wearer's true physiognomy through an artifice, a
fa\=ade. Perhaps there is also a less evident paradox: sometimes
we use the word "mask" with unconscious loyalty to the ex-
pression's etymology, as it comes from masf2arah that, in Ara-
bic, means "object of laughter".
This contemporary wa y of seeing -and living- masks, inevita bly
associated with carnival , veils or masks the meaning and pur-
pose that they had for the ancient Maya civilization. Of the 21
masks presented , 13 had a funeralY purpose and were faithful
representations of the dignitaries , capturing their most solemn
gestures , probably during the prime of their life . These portrait-
masks were the symbol that linked the ruler -k'uhul ajaw or "sa-
cred lord "- with the Maize God and, therefore, with the germi-
nating power of the earth. They were also the promise of
continuity and transcendence, as the seed would return, through
the cycles of life, as green vegetation. This is one of the mean-
ings behind the use of green stones as the main material for the
masks: jadeite represented the fluids of life -water and blood-
and the renovation of life.
The other eight masks, representing human figures , deities
and.;womorphic characters, alongside amazing examples of ob-
jects from funerary effects found in burials - necklaces, bracelets,
diadems, pectorals, wrist straps, incense burners, vases and ves-
sels- make up the collection of 50 pieces. These will allow the
visitor to approach that which Claude Levi-Strauss referred to as
The Life of Masks: in traditional societies, the representation of
the face , such as through ritual masks, is that of symbols that in-
carnate different configurations of a cultural matrix.
"Maya Faces" will mark the beginning of a new tendency with
regards to traveling exhibitions: for the first time since the cre-
ation of the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia , an ex-
hibit, made up of such important pre-Hispanic works, will trav-
el around the counuy for two years, being presented in Puebla,
Chiapas, Campeche , Yucatan and the Museo Nacional de
Antropologia in Mexico City. During this effort to join collections
and organize the exhibition, we counted on the unconditional
collaboration of the state governments. Also, it is important to
mention the special support that we received from Fomento Cul-
tural Banamex, both for the materialization of the show and for
the realization of this issue of Arqueologia Mexicana that ac-
companies the museographic presentation.
A metaphorical path , a philological excuse of sorts , allows
us to fully access the spirit of the show. By person we under-
stand that which constitutes a subject in our civilization. How-
ever, the Greek root of this word refers to the mask that was
used by actors during theatrical representations. That which
we consider the most individual and unique - our personality-
is a game of masks. We wear our person just as the ancient
Maya wore their masks, with the certainty that our true face is
found in them.
ETHNOLOGIST SERGIO RAUL Almoyo
General Director
Instiwto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia
Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C. has collaborated with the Con-
sejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, through the Instituto
Nacional de Antropologia e Historia , in the creation of tempo-
ralY exhibitions of great importance . "Maya Faces: Lineage and
Power", adds itself to the list and it's an event where Fundaci6n
Televisa and the state governments of Puebla, Chiapas, Yucatan,
Campeche and Quintana Roo also participate.
This exhibition, just as previous ones that have dealt with dif-
ferent topics of Maya culture, stands out because it is present-
ing practically unseen pieces that come from different cities of
the Maya geography and that are chronologically located in the
Classic Period. The research and restoration work done have
contributed with new information and reinterpretations of as-
pects not previously conSidered, regarding the cultural context
that these representations of the human face come from.
The show's main characteristic is the great esthetic value of
these masks' composition. Each of them stands out because of the
material incorporated, mostly jadeite, the way it was manufactured
and the color used, u'aits that make up their extraordinary beauty.
Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.c. is proud to present this spe-
cial edition of AI'queologia Mexicana, devoted to this exhibition.
The contents revolve around one of the subjects of greater in-
terest that contains the mystery of Maya civilization: the role of
the power of the Maya rulers (ajawo 'ob) and their genealogy,
through the many meanings behind the use of masks and their
connection with the worship of death.
"Maya Faces: Lineage and Power" presents the artistic purpose
of masks in Maya society of the Classic and, also offers an an-
thropological understanding for the viewer. Through their em-
blems and insignias, masks indicate rank and social role; they were
the medium through which their bearer was in touch with the su-
pernatural world and channeled communication towards the sa-
cred or tl1e transcendent. The mask that covered the face of Janaab'
Pakal, ruler of Palenque, demonstrates this . The reconstruction
and study of this mask is an example of tl1e mosaic of symbolic
relationships that originated in Maya myths and also in the politi-
cal, military and religiOUS meanings of the social group.
After its presentation at the San Pedro Museo de Arte, Puebla,
in July, the exhibition will travel to the site museum of Palenque,
Chiapas. This second presentation is an integral part of the ac-
tivities that are inscribed within the Palenque Round Table, an
important academic event that gathers the most distinguished
scholars on the Maya.
The promotion of the exhibition on a national level demon-
strates the importance of the retrieval of the historic past, and ,
more importantly, of its presentation in the cities of Palenque,
Campeche and Merida , where the descendants of this great her-
itage'S identity is strengthened at the local level.
Fomento Cultural Banamex, A. C. would like to thank the Ins-
tituto Nacional de Antopologia e Historia and the Coordinaci6n
Nacional de Museos y Exposiciones, Fundaci6n Televisa and the
participating state governments, and is convinced that cross-insti-
tutional cooperation and common effort will multiply the invest-
ment in cultural and educational development in our country.
CANDIDA FERNANDEZ DE CALDERON
Director
Fomento Cultural Banamex, A. C.
ENGLISH VERSION / 75
 THE "MAYA FACES :
LINEAGE AND POV\lER "
EXHIBITION
JOSE ENRI QUE ORTI Z LANZ
EXHIBITS ON MAYA CULTURE
Maya culture has attracted the attention of the western eye for
over two centuries. The late 18'h century expeditions sent out
by the Spanish court to Palenque show a change in attitude re-
garding Mexico's indigenous past. However, it is only during
the late 20'h century that Maya culture could truly free itself from
this connotation of being merely one among many Mesoameri-
can cultures. A global vision of the past was constructed that
sought to be inclusive and find the common traits of the entire
multicultural region, rather than highlight its differences. It also
wanted to consider the progress made by archaeological re-
search on a people that we have not been able to properly char-
acterize according to natural or human unity. Perhaps, in this
sense, the exhibition entitled "Maya ", presented in the Palazzo
Grassi in Venice, Italy, in 1998, truly marked the difference. Pre-
ceded, of course, by others, this was the first exhibit that, for its
time, treated the diversity of Maya peoples in a complete and
exhaustive manner.
The progress made in the deciphering of the inscriptions of
a multitude of stelae, altars, lintels, jambs and pottery; the new
archaeological discoveries, and the great deal of publications on
this subject, among other aspects, have shed new light on the
complex economic, social, political and cultural structure of a
"people" that can now be considered a gathering of diverse ele-
ments united by a common thread.
The new ways of interpreting Maya writing have allowed for
a novel possibility: exhibits focusing on specific periods, like this
one , or the one recently opened in the United States, "Courtly
Art of the Ancient Maya ", or even the one in progress, "Lords of
Creation". In the future , it is possible to foresee that the tenden-
cy will be to treat aspects not yet presented, and towards new
readings on museum collections.
EXHIBmONs: TIlE MUSEUMS' DETONATORS
Among the advantages of temporaIY exhibitions, some are worth
mentioning: to unite pieces from different sites with similar
themes , or to unite pieces from the same place that have been
dispersed in various museums and cultural spaces; to summon
scholars who currently have a distinguished role in research
and interpretation; to review collections that are more and more
tied to their place of origin, and to confront them with objects
of unknown sources; to promote the restoration of objects that
have been in windows or storage areas for decades; to seek new
interpretations and meanings related to subjects that are not con-
templated in traditional museums; to promote research on com-
munication strategies with a series of ever changing publics; and
to put technologies and publications to date so as to allow
for , from the viewer's perspective, an encounter with a past
that is subject to constant reinterpretation and charged with
valying meanings.
On the other hand , the success and demand for high-quality
exhibitions are more conmlon outside Mexico. Certain factors
have made such high quality exhibits - both in research and con-
tents-unavailable to the population of many Mexican states: their
size demanding large spaces with basic security conditions -hu-
man, technological and climatic- and, more importantly, their
high costs of production. "Maya faces: Lineage and Power" was
76 / ARQUEOLOC IA MEXICANA
precisely tllought out so as to change this tendency and demon-
strate the unity of federal institutions, meaning CONACULTA-I N AH ,
and those of the state governments of Chiapas , Campeche , Yu-
catan, Quintana Roo and Puebla , as well as the private sector,
through the always relevant participation of the Fomento Cul-
tural Banamex. The show is the fruit of collaborative work and
an example for future national exhibits witll high quality research ,
collections and museographic proposals. This initiative has es-
tablished a precedent and will serve as witness that it is worth
joining institutional, gremial, and personal efforts so as to guar-
antee the promotion of national, regional and local values.
N EW F ACES
The restoration of Pakal's funerary mask, carried out by Laura
Filloy and Sofia Martinez del Campo during the renovation of
the Maya Room of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia , has
made both archaeologists and those in charge of museums re-
flect on the meaning and origin of such unique objects. After a
careful search in the records of Mexican heritage , the Coord i-
nacion Nacional de Museos y Exposiciones found 21 pieces that
could be grouped in the category of masks of Maya culture. Of
these, 13 could be considered funeraIY, and 8, that were used as
adornments , are associated with human, anima l or deity repre-
sentations. The result of this research showed that all of these
masks, except for four -the result of confiscations or donations,
and thus, of unknown origin-, were found in four Maya cities:
Palenque, Chiapas; Calakmul , Campeche; Dzibanche, Quintana
Roo; and Oxkintok, Yucatan, and tlley were all associated to con-
texts of the Classic Period (AD 300-900) . Another subject of dis-
cussion has been focused on the materials: up until now, all the
masks, except for three, had been largely made out of jadeite,
with the exception of the mask found in the Red Queen's' tomb
that was made out of malachite, also a greenstone. A piece made
out of shell, that came from Oxkintok , was found in the Region-
al Museum of Yucatan's storage area. The restoration of this sin-
gular piece was never finished which is why it was presented as
another mystery of the ancient Maya. With the supposition that
it was the face of an ancient ruler of this city, a restoration process
was begun, in the hands of the same team with the addition of
Eugenia Gum!. The process begun with problems: the archaeo-
logical record of the tomb's excavation was scarce and the un-
fortunately coinciding death of archaeologist Ricardo Velazquez,
the head of the project, made the realization of the proposal
all the more difficult. Finally, through exemplary work, the res-
toration specialists were able to unveil the secret: it was an ea-
gle's head and not a human face as all had assumed. Through
this discoveIY, not only was the puzzle without a model's ap-
pearance restored, but also, a subject had been cleared up: in-
deed , up until now, all the human face funeraIY masks from the
Maya region are made out of jade.
THE PROPOSAL
With all of the information that has been gathered little by lit-
tle, the Subdireccion de Exposiciones Nacionales (belonging to
the Coordinacion Nacional de Museos y Exposiciones, headed
by Ignacio Monterrubio, and in which Manuel Polgar and ]esLls
Alvarez participated) asked archaeologist Roberto Lopez Bravo,
director of the Palenque site museum to, with the help of Denisse
Hellion , develop the exhibition's proposal. The latter was cen-
tered on the figure of the ru lers and their role , not only with re-
gards to political control , but also with regards to the religious
realm. Rulers acted as representatives of the sacred and had an
;. ~~~~~::;-:~iI~~mn~~~~un;~~:'~':1I~~~~bi3iliil~~>~::~~~
important role in life, but also in death, reincarnated in the fig-
ure of the young Maize God , propitiator of fertility and abun-
dance among his people. The exhibition's museography, devel-
oped by a team headed by museographer Rogelio Granados and
designer Erika Miller, was also a great challenge. It had to be
contemporary and attractive, but at the same time, sufficiently
flexible so as to be presented as a traveling exhibit for a long
period of time. Also , the expected visitors were velY diverse.
On the one hand, the show would be presented to many peo-
ple for whom this would be their first approach to Maya culture ,
meaning that not much would be known on the geography or
cultural diversity of the region. On the other hand, the show
would also be presented in the context of relevant events such
as the Palenque Round Table, where experts on the region would
have to find novelties both in the conceptual aspect and in
the materials.
Finally, in line with the new museography that the [NAH is try-
ing to promote, a team of museographers and communication
specialists , headed by Emilio Montemayor and Maria Engracia
Vallejo, were asked to create a special interactive hall so that
adults as well as students could find a space where they could
reflect on their experience visiting the exhibition and participate
in activities that, without loosing the educational focus that mu-
seums must have , allowed for informal education and experi-
mentation to be applied and, thus, fomented the interactive as-
pect of the show.
N EW STRATEGIES: VISITOR SURVEYS
In the last few years, visitor surveys have become a good tool
for measuring the results of an exhibition. The Coordinaci6n Na-
cional de Museos y Exposiciones has been developing this sort
of analysis. Regarding the exhibit "Maya Faces" that took place
in the San Pedro Museo de Arte in Puebla, Alejandro Cortes, head
of the project, shares some important preliminalY data with us:
• The public that visited the exhibition was mainly from
Puebla (70%) and was mostly made up of young students
and professionals.
• 25% of the visitors came to see the exhibition because of a rec-
ommendation and 60% affirmed that they had a special interest
in subjects related to Maya culture.
• Practically all those interviewed had previous knowledge on
the Maya , mainly because of a visit to an archaeological site
(28%), having seen another exhibition on this culture (21%),
through a television program (17%) and through school (33%) .
• The appraisal of the written information was positive: 78% con-
sidered that it was clear and understandable.
• One of the main objectives of the show was fulfilled as 60%
said they had acquired new knowledge, while 19% said that what
they had seen and read had helped reinforce what they already
knew about the Maya , and only another 19% said that their
knowledge on Maya culture had remained the same.
• Although the main message of the exhibition -the representa-
tion of images of power through objects that showed the faces
of some of the Maya rulers- was clearly understood , interesting
parallel readings also took place, such as the understanding of
the phYSiognomy of the Maya, their customs and worldview.
• The collection was highly valued , not only because of its im-
portance as heritage, but also because of the materials and es-
thetics . Visitors made special emphasis on the facial traits and
expressions.
• The use of replicas in the collection was highlighted . This is
one of the most polemic subjects as far as museums are con-
cerned, although in this case, the public expressed satisfaction
of being able to see a reproduction of Pakal's stone slab and of
his mask. The fact that these pieces were reproductions was very
clear and, nevertheless, the visitors highlighted the mastelY of
their manufacture.
• Without a doubt, one of the great successes of the show was
the inclusion of an interactive space. Visitors highlighted the util-
ity of the alternative equipments and information for the under-
standing of the subjects.
• However, understanding of the space-time relationship could
have been bettered. For example, a third of those surveyed, when
asked whether during the Classic Period (which is the subject of
the exhibition), Aztecs already existed, answered yes. Another
third said no and the same amount of people said that they did
not know. This is telling about a problem that we will have
to face in future exhibitions on archaeology, since it could be
caused by learning deficiencies regarding temporality and geo-
graphical location that have been acquired during schooling.
Jose Enrique Ortiz Lanz. Architect with graduate studies in monument
restoration from the University of Naples. He has worked in the field of
museums and exhibitions for over 16 years. Coordinador Nacional de Mu-
seos y Exposiciones, !NAH.
THE RESTORATION OF THE
JADE FUNERARY MASKS
A REENC::OUNTER \NITH
THE FAC::ES OF THE PAST
S O FIA M ARTiNEZ D EL C AMPO, LAURA FILLO Y NADAL
The discovery, rescue and appraisal of objects belonging to an-
cient cultures is one of the great contributions of archaeology as
a science, providing us with knowledge and allowing us to un-
derstand our past. Armed with these premises, archaeologists
carry out the meticulous labor of registering each one of the
pieces found in digs. It is their job, through studies, to survey,
classify and identify the pieces . However, retrieval alone is not
enough, it is also necessalY to preselve the object so as to trans-
mit knowledge from one generation to the next.
The recent projects of intervening the funerary jade masks
-initiated in the Taller de Restauraci6n del Museo Nacional de
Antropologia during the second half of 2001 with the restoration
of Pakal the Great's funerary mask- include two complementary
aspects: the retrieval of the esthetic qualities of the face and the
assembly of the mosaic on a frame made out of inert material,
assuring its future preservation.
Strongly justifying every modification of the masks' appear-
ance, so as to rescue the distinctive attributes of Classic Maya
art, has been the process ' most complicated phase , since dur-
ing the research phase we already detected the lack of biblio-
graphiC information on the history of the pieces, from their dis-
covery until today. The latter has made the analysis of the
unequalled portraits of characters shaped into sculptures and
bas-reliefs from the Classic Maya Period necessary. Also, origi-
nal information was sought out, such as unpublished data , on
the registration made during the dig and the restoration process-
es to which the pieces have been submitted over the years.
Thus , during the most recent intelventions to the funerary masks,
the theoretical precepts of conservation have been followed ,
with the support of other disciplines such as archaeology, an-
thropology, physics , epigraphy and art history. Therefore , the
E NGLISH VERSION / 77
masks have been analyzed from historical, esthetic and cultur-
al perspectives, and any modification to their appearance has
been studied, justified and approved by a multidisciplinary team
of specialists.
In addition , during the restoration projects , the possible de-
terioration processes of organic materials that took place inside
the burial and the etiology of the alterations have been studied,
as well as the distribution of the parts in the archaeological con-
text, so as to achieve a precise reconstruction of each one of the
mosaics. The physical and chemical analyses of their constituent
elements have been carried out by the Subdirecci6n de Labora-
torios y Apoyo Academico, INAH, by California State University
at San Bernardino, and by the "Manufacturing Techniques of Pre-
Hispanic Shell Objects from Mexico Project". The results have
taken us to a better understanding of the materials and manu-
facturing technique used by Maya artisans.
The findings unearthed by the methodology established dur-
ing the restoration of Pakal the Great's mask have been en-
couraging, allOWing us to continue applying it to subsequent
restorations such as that of the mask belonging to Pakal's cer-
emonial belt, discovered on the Temple of Inscriptions' stone
slab; the mask from the ceremonial belt found in Tomb 3 of
Palenque 's Forgotten Temple in Chiapas; the jade mosaic fu-
nerary mask from Tomb 5 of Substructure CA-3 of the Ah Can-
ul group in Oxkintok, Yucatan; and , recently, the jade funer-
ary mask from Tomb 1 of Structure VII in Calakmul, Campeche.
All of these are included in the "Funerary Masks Project" be-
gun almost two years ago by the Coordinaci6n Nacional de
Museos y Exposiciones, INAH.
The second complementary aspect of the restoration process-
es, the creation of the permanent frame is included in the lines
of this methodology and is of great importance since the con-
servation of the materials that make up the art objects is essen-
tial. Thus, in order to assure the conservation of the jade, ob-
sidian and shell-prime materials that make up these magnificent
mosaics- we had a series of tests done with various materials
that could serve to create these frames. In the case of Pakal's
mask, a synthetic, inert and transparent material was imagined
from the very beginning, since some of the mosaic tiles were
part of ancient pre-Hispanic jewels that have incisions and two
beautifully carved faces on their back, as well as remains of the
pre-Hispanic materials that constituted the original frame. For
the mask from Oxkintok , we decided upon a synthetic and in-
ert material, but that imitated the stucco that made up the orig-
inal frame where the mask was mounted during the Early Clas-
sic Period. A similar material was used for the mask from Calakn1U1
and for the small masks belonging to ceremonial belts from
Palenque, Chiapas.
It is also worth mentioning that the jade mosaics are eligible
to being modified as long as the support of trustworthy sources,
enriching the proposals with new information, is obtained. In the
specific case ofPakal's mask, for example, the temporalY assem-
blage of the second phase of the restoration process was already
completed when an extraordinary finding of a small box contain-
ing 160 jade tiles that, without a doubt, belonged to the mosaic,
was unearthed in the vault of the Subdirecci6n de Arqueologia
del Museo Nacional de Antropologia. The latter was established
because of the distinctive characteristics of the pieces as well as
by the type of jade, the pre-Hispanic materials on its surface, the
original numbering by Ruz Lhuillier and, most relevantly, by their
shape that coincided with the pieces that were missing in tlle mo-
saic. Thus, the proposal was modified with surprising results.
78 / ARQUEOLOG iA MEXICANA
In conclUSion, it is worth noting that the intervention of the
funerary masks is a jo b that demands, in every single case, con-
stant study and interdiSciplinary participation. Thanks to the lat-
ter, we have been able to reach a high degree of precision in the
mosaics' assembly and the retrieval of the characteristic attribut-
es of Maya art, manifest in the face represented in each of them.
And not only that, their reading have also led us to a deeper
knowledge of the symbolism allotted by the Maya artisans at the
time of their creation. Thus , thanks to these conservation works ,
a reencounter with the faces of Maya culture's magnificent past
has been fomented.
• Sofia Martinez del Campo La n z. Mayo re d in restora tion a t the
ENC RYM, INAH .She has specialized in the restoration of funerary effects
and masks.
• Laura Filloy Nadal. She has a Masters degree in archaeology. Expert re-
stores of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, INAH.
MAYA ARCHITECTURE
AND FUNERARY RITES
RAM 6N CA RRASCO V ARGAS
While approaching the subject of funerary architecture and its
related ceremonies, one is faced with a series of paradigms that
have been constructed by over a hundred studies on the Maya;
paradigms that have changed with the new data provided by re-
cent research. In the last few years, it has been established that
the rituals that followed the death of an individual from the Maya
royalty, were accompanied by a series of preparations that took
place during several days, even weeks. In the inscriptions from
the Classic Period that allude to death, it is written tllat the mourn-
ing ceremonies following death lasted until the tenth day. Some
rituals were performed 100 days after the death and lasted 400
days, while others were performed after the first year, according
to the reading that has been made of the epigraphic accounts.
The construction of the funerary chamber and the time that
was invested in this activity were directly related to the individu-
al's hierarchy. During the Early Classic (AD 300-600), the con-
struction of the funerary enclosure was planned before a build-
ing was erected or a platform remodeled. By the Late Classic (AD
600-800), a change occurs in the preparation of the tomb and its
manufacture is simplified. By this period and there on forth , the
tombs are created by digging a grave in the ground of some of
the chambers, later covered with ashlars , either carved or with
a simple face. In certain very special cases and according to the
personal prestige of the individual, the construction of his tomb
had to be planned and arranged; two such cases were Pakal's
tomb inside the Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque, and that of
Yukom Yich'ak K'ak' inside Structure II in Calakmul.
In Calakmul , three types of funerary enclosures have been
identified, according to their manufacture and use. They corre-
spond to three periods of the site's historical development: the
Early Classic, the Late Classic and the Terminal Classic, meaning
from AD 400 to 900. During the Early Classic, in cities such as
Calakmul and Tikal, as well as in other sites of the Peten, tombs
were enclosures roofed with tlle characteristic Maya vaults. Two
funerary chambers from this period tllat are located in Calaknllll,
in structures II and III, show very special characteristics. These
are large, well made, spaces built with coarse rock rubblework
that was later covered with mud leveling. Due to their propor-
tions and system of construction, these enclosures required plan-
~c:L.~~~?~:;jJ~~mmlll51:.1 ~bi1~l,1lIn;~~;:~<1 [~J?r~~%j ~6L'li1im~l~It::::~mmi1ill~~<j
ning and implementation, before the actual construction of the
building where they were erected began. By the Late and Ter-
minal Classic Periods, the most common type of construction for
tombs in Calakmul, as well as in other Maya sites , consisted of a
simple perforation of the ground so as to form a grave . The pit
was conditioned with coarse rubblework walls that would later
be covered with a level of mud that reached the springing of the
vault. The difference between the tombs of these two periods
does not lie in their system of construction, but in their use. Dur-
ing the Late Classic, just as during the Early Classic, funeralY
chambers served as the deceased's permanent dwelling, where-
as, during the Terminal Classic, tombs were used provisionally
since, after a certain time, remains were exhumed; a practice that
still endures in some Maya communities.
The use of mud leveling, generally manually applied, as a
coating for the walls , suggests that this technique looked to re-
produce the conditions or aspect of caves. These represented
the dOOlway through which one enters the mountains where
Xibalba is found. That is, the objective was to reproduce the
realm where the deceased's ch 'ulel (a spiritual entity that lives
inside the sacred mountain and integrates itself to the individual
at the time of birth) would go. When a person dies, the ch 'ulel
returns to the mountain or to Xibalba , the place where the mem-
bers of the community's spiritual entities, as well as the ances-
tors and forefathers, live .
The location of the elite's tombs in platforms or pyramids
echoes the idea of the mountain that, in the Maya's worldview,
was the place of Xibalba, known as the world of the dead or as
the other universe, erroneously named "underworld". The most
Significant examples of the idea of the cave as part of the moun-
tain ~are the Early Classic tombs of Rio Azul in Guatemala (5'h cen-
tury), and the funeralY chamber 48 of Tikal, under Structure 5D-
33 in the North Acropolis, where the ruler, Stormy Sky, was buried
in AD 456. Both of these tombs were conditioned inside natural
cavities, caves, or excavated into the rock.
The funerary enclosures that were arranged inside the cham-
bers of early buildings, later covered by a new construction or
remodeled , deserve a special mention. A tomb in Caracol , Be-
lize , conditioned in a room of Structure B20, and probably also
Pakal 's tomb, according to the hypothesis enunciated by Cedi-
llo and Villalobos during the 4'h Palenque Round Table, as well
as the sanctuary of 18 Rabbit of Copan in Structure 10L-22, are
found in such chambers. One of the most recent findings of this
type of tombs is the Red Queen of Palenque, whose sarcopha-
gus was placed in the central chamber of Temple XIII's Sub-
structure.
The construction of the funerary enclosure was an integral
part of the rituals, completed by the placing of POttelY offerings,
that have generally been interpreted as the containers of the nec-
essary food for the voyage that the deceased would take on to
Xibalba. Jewelry made out of jadeite, shell and other materials
was among the objects placed in the funerary chambers of the
Maya elite's members. One of the most important components
of the funerary effects, in some burials, were the misnamed "fu-
neralY masks", placed next to the body, and that really corre-
sponded to the deceased's effigy. The use of the term "funerary
mask" and its in1plications are due to the lack of knowledge that
we have about their actual purpose. In truth, these works of art
were portraits of the inhumed individuals that must have been
manufactured in order to prolong their image beyond death. The
effigies that have been conserved were made out of jadeite or
malachite, or modeled in stucco; some were probably also made
out of wood and unavoidably disappeared. Faces made out of
jadeite have been documented in a few sites such as Palenque,
Tikal, Dzibanche, Oxkintok and Calakmul. It is in this last city
that the greatest number ofthese personifications has been found:
five in total.
The finding , in Palenque, of the jadeite effigy inside Pakal's
sarcophagus in the Temple of Inscriptions, made scholars be-
lieve that it was a "mask", but the recent re-intervention clearly
shows that it was, in fact, a representation similar to those made
out of stucco found under the sarcophagus. Effigies were one of
the components of funerary effects and were placed close to the
deceased, but not on their face as a substitution for the latter.
More than to a deity, they are associated to the individual him-
self, so as to identify him as a member of his lineage in Xibalba.
This same purpose must have been shared by other objects such
as the jadeite mosaic containers of the Burials 116 and 196 of
Tikal, with the portraits of Ah Cacau and Yax Kin, respectively,
or by the series of ceramic effigy figurines , representing the 12
first rulers of the city, retrieved as part of the offering in the tomb
of Ruler 12, known as Smoke Imix of Copan.
As research progresses and more information on Maya cul-
ture is gained , the old paradigms must be examined through the
lense of these new findings. In this brief essay, we have discussed
some of them, such as funeralY architecture and its planning, the
rituals related to death and their duration, the Maya concern with
death and world view.
Ram6n Carrasco Vargas. Museographer, graduate of the Paul Coremans
School and anthropologist specializing in archaeology, graduate of the ENAH.
He has directed archaeological projects in the Maya region. Director of the
Proyecro Arqueol6gico Calakmul, Campeche.
K ' INICH JANAAB' PAKAL,
FIGURE OF VVORSHIP OF
THE PALENQUE DYNASTY
THE EX T INCTION OF THE VVHITE
FLOVVER , ENTERING THE PAT H
GUILLERM O B ERNA L
A text from the Temple of Inscriptions records that, on the
31" of July 683 , two days after the new moon , an ominous
event, related to the Palencan ruler K'inichJanaab ' Pakal took
place. The event is referred to with a somewhat eroded ver-
bal glyph shaped like a human face with a fleshed jaw. There
is no certainty as to what the glyph signifies, however,
there is a clue that allows us to discern its meaning: the text
points out that 28 days later, the 28'h of august, when the moon
was in the midst of conjunction , Pakal "enters the path" (ooch
h 'ii;), that is , passes away (or as the Maya scribes used to po-
etically phrase it: k 'aay u sak nik ik', "the extinction of his
white flower , of his breath"). Thus, everything seems to indi-
cate that the first record refers to the beginning of his agony
that almost lasted a lunar cycle. In harmony with the moon ,
Pakal dies and begins his voyage to the underworld (the Yu-
catec Mayans believed that, during its conjunction, the moon
died or went to sleep in the depths of a well). However, just
as the moon , Pakal is destined to return from the depths ,
to maintain his presence among his descendants, to be re-
born. Within this belief, at 80 years of age and after 68 years
of prosperous rule , Pakal dies and a vigorous cult around his
figure emerges.
E NG LI SH VERSION 179

~ti~~;~ ~~f~~c:j ~~lt.:.-"'1l~~U;~~~':;:~~:{j ~r:.!L~n;,~I~I};~::1~rn~~~
THE MUKNAL, TIlE TOMB
The ruler's body is take n to its final resting place , the tomb
(muknal) in the Temple of Inscriptions, whose pyramidal struc-
ture is made up of nine platforms that symboli zed the number
of levels that, according to Maya beliefs , existed in the under-
world ; the temple is an architectural replica of this realm. Thus,
as his remains descend the internal staircase , they symbolical-
ly cross the abysses of the dark and humid region of the dead.
The funeralY chamber is decorated with nine warriors , the dig-
nitaries of the underworld that, alone , guarded Pakal 's sar-
cophagus for over a thousand years until archaeologist Alber-
to Ruz Lhuillier discovered it in 1952 . The glyphic inscription
records that "the sacred name of the tomb is 'House of the Nine
Images' ( Bolon Et Naah)", referring to the aforementioned nine
characters.
J ADEITE AND CINNABAR, SYMBOLS OF FERTII.ITY
AND TIlE RENOVATION OF LIFE
Pakal's funeralY honors are the responsibility of his first-born
and heir to the throne, K'inich Kan B'ahlam. The funeralY effects
of the latter's father are made up of textile garments, as well as
a great gamut of ornaments, namely made out of jadeite: rings,
bracelets , necklaces, earflares, a pectoral, a diadem and an ex-
traordinary mask, a faithful portrait of the dead ruler. A small
statue of the God-Tree made out of the same material, was placed
next to his feet. Jadeite symbolized water, nature's verdure , and
fertility in general ; it was the stone, and thus, eternal , expression
of the renovation of life. Finally, the body was cove red with
cinnabar, an intensely red mineral that represented the most im-
pOltant vital liquid: blood. Cinnabar and jadeite are abundant in
Maya royal tombs because it was believed that they transferred
their regenerative qualities to the dead ruler who would , thus,
undergo some sort of resurrection.
THE RETIJRN TO TIlE SEED
The bones of the dignitary were compared to the seeds of culti-
vated plants (namely maize) or of fruit trees that sprout under-
ground and reemerge as the buds of a new plant. This is why,
on the stone slab of his sarcophagus , Pakal was represented as
the God K'awiil , patron of maize and of agriculture in general ,
emerging from the fleshed gullet of a supernatural ophidian
named Sak B'aak Naah Way. This entity represented the under-
ground world and was referred to in the inscriptions as the nahual
or alter ego (way) of the God K'awiil. Imbued with the qualities
and powers of this deity, the ruler would return to earth next
to a sacred tree whose trunk rises vigorously to celes-
tial heights where the God Itzamnaaj , represented in his bird
form, is perched. Through this visual metaphor, Pakal becomes
a divine being capable of moving through the levels of the cos-
mos , of communicating with the sacred entities and serving as a
link between the latter and their live descendants . However, he
did not assume these faculties exclUSively since he shared them
with his ancestors, the dignitaries that had preceded him in the
position of ruler. On his sarcophagus' sides , Pakal had some of
them represented , including his parents emerging, being reborn,
from the de pths of the earth, next to fruit trees. This indicated
that, even from their ultra-terrestrial existence, they propitiated
continuity of sustenance for society as a whole .
A LONG-LASTING WORSHIP
Although all the dynastic ancestors were subject to worship, it is
unquestionable that Pakal became the most eminent ruler of the
80 / ARQ UEOLOGiA MEXl CANA
~
~
local dynasty. His successors continued to represent him in their
sculpted monuments , where he appears as a live witness and ac-
tive participant of their most memorable ceremonies. To lesser
and greater degrees, all of Pakal's successors established links
with him as a way of consolidating their political leadership .
One of them even seems to have regarded himself as some sort
of incarnation of the dead ruler since , during his enthronement
( Gina 742), he adopted the name U Pakal K'inichJanaab' Pakal
and, thus, completely assimilated his ancestor's name.
The Palencan capital's decline during the second half of the
8"' centUlY probably induced even more vigorous worship to the
cult of Pakal , whose image evoked a time of splendor and pow-
er. However, times had changed and Palen que had difficulties
maintaining its regional influence. It was during this time that
the vaulted stailway that led to the tomb was completely blocked
with tons of earth and stones, thus sealing the funerary chamber
definitively. Something was threatening the sacred crypt, maybe
the danger of being profaned. There would be no more rites of
worship within the chamber, but the presence of the dead ruler
was kept alive among the faithful , who constructed a channel
(known as psicoducto) that went from the Clypt to the sanctualY
above and , thus , served as a symbolic vehicle of communica-
tion. From its height, the portico of the sanctuary dominated
the most extensive plaza of the city, a space that congrega-
ted the whole of the local conununity during the rites dedicated
to the ruler. Nowadays, fighting time and obliVion, the material
remains, inscriptions and iconographic scenes from the Temple
of Inscriptions allow us to shed a little light on the chaotic and
complicated complex of beliefs that the cultivated and opulent
local dynasty wove around the sacred figure of the dignitalY
whose white flower was extinguished during the summer of 683.
Guillermo Bernal. Historian, a Maya writing specia list. Collaborator of the
site museum of Palenque: "Alberto Ruz Lhuillier" and of the Proyecto Ar-
queol6gico Palenque, INAH.
THE RED QUEEN'S IVIASKS
SYMBOLS OF POVVER
ARNOlDO G ONzA LEZ CRUZ
The funerary practices of Palenque have been documented since
the end of the 19'" century when various explorers and travelers
discovered some of the tombs. However, it was Dr. Alberto Ruz
Lhuillier, during the fifties of the 20'" centUlY, who studied the
funeralY practices of the ancient Maya through the analysis of
apprOximately 79 tombs of the ancient city. Among these tombs,
that ofK'inichJanaab' Pakal II within the Temple ofInscriptions,
still the most important of Palenque and of the Maya region to-
day, stands out. During the excavation work that took place dur-
ing the nineties, approximately 204 individuals were retrieved.
They were found in different situations, ranging from burials ex-
cavated directly into the ground, cists made out of limestone
slabs , to tombs with vaulted chambers and vaulted chambers
with a sarcophagus, where individuals were usually buried with
multiple objects. Added to the studies by Alberto Ruz, these find-
ings have provided us with information regarding funeralY ar-
chitecture, social status , funerary and socio-economic patterns ,
as well as health conditions.
The location of the tombs and the quality of the offerings de-
pended on the individual's social status. Common people were
generally buried under the floors of their own house or close by,
~'1 ~P-6C.'1m~~2:;1I~fg.~~1Nl{.j ~tlL.'lll~~I~I};E:~11 ~~'1 w±~<j~l?~~~~
and usually accompanied by scarce offerings, essentially made
up of ceramic plates and vases, and the grinding stones of metates.
Nobles of lesser rank were generally buried under the temples'
floors , inside cist tombs, with offerings made up of objects of
pottery, shell , bone, obsidian and jadeite. However, the rulers'
bodies were buried with rich funerary effects in large vau lted
tombs, accompanied by sacrificed individuals and by objects cor-
responding to their political , economic and religious rank. These
were namely jade, shell , obsidian and pottery, as well as head-
dresses, funerary masks, belts and scepters, considered the sym-
bols of power. Among this system of burials, a tomb stands out
because of its architectural characteristics, its archaeologica l ma-
terials and because its location inside the city of Palenque should
have belonged to a member of roya lty. It was found in 1994, in-
side a temple now known as that of d1e Red Queen, and it is one
of the most impressive funeralY precincts of the Maya region. Its
construction corresponds to the city's splendor, probably begin-
ning during the 7'h centllIY and continu ing for 200 years.
The building covered two previous constructions. The first
was adapted so as to serve as the tomb of a noble woman whose
identity continues to be a mystery, since there is no glyph ic in-
scription that identifies her. She has been named the Red Queen
because her skeleton was found entirely covered in cinn abar
(mercury sulfur). Much has been speculated about her identity
and many believe that she was probably a close relative ofK'inich
]anaab' Pakal II, because the wealth of her funeralY effects as-
sure us that she belonged to the most select circles of the e lite.
The woman was around 45, and was buried inside a smooth
stone sarcophagus; two sacrificed individuals were found at its
sides. Her mortuary attire was made up of around 1 140 pieces
of jadeite, malachite, shell , bone, a nd pearls, that were used to
create anklets, bracelets and earflares.
Among the materials found , severa l apple-green colored rec-
tangular pieces that surrounded part of the skull and chest, as
well as a concentration of small jadeite tiles, laid out in mosaic
fashion between the left hand's phalanx and the eastern part of
the sarcophagus, stand out. The distribution and characteristics
of these objects have allowed us to infer iliat they were funeralY
masks. The first, found around the skull of the individual, was
made out of 129 fragments covered in cinnabar. After having been
cleaned and ana lyzed in a laboratory, it was possible to deter-
mine that 119 of these fragments were tiles made out of a green
mineral called malachite. The rest of the material was made out
of two round obsidian tiles that selved as pupils, four jade tiles
that evoked the iris and two tubular beads that made up the
earflares. Once this material was clean, it was separated accord-
ing to d1e layers registered during the excavation. In addition,
with the help of photographs and the graphic record made to
scale 1: 1, the likely displacement of the pieces w hen d1e element
that held d1em together deteriorated, was reconstructed.
In order to mount the pieces, moulds were made out of a mL,(-
ture of non-grease modeling clay and bee's wax, based on the
graphic records of the skull , so as to have a malleable support
that would allow us to move and place the pieces multiple times
without damaging them. The first pieces that were sh aped were
the mouth, the chin, the nose and the eyes. This allowed us to
determine the proportions of the mask and have a central axis
that facilitated the placement of the rest of the material. The tiles
were placed and leveled , just as marked by the bevels, so as to
obtain the volume of the mask . Once the process was finished ,
d1e pieces were transferred to a permanent support made out of
resin for ilieir museographic presentation.
The second mask, placed at ilie level of the left hand, is made
up of 106 jadeite tiles, two obsidian tiles make up the pupils, and
four shell tiles make up the iris. The same technique as for the
first mask was applied in order to mount iliem, although this
mask turned out to be smaller.
The information retrieved during these masks' restoration
process allows us to gain more insight into the funeralY prac-
tices of Palenque. The use of malachite in the making of funer-
ary masks stands o ut since this material has not been found in
any other Maya tombs . The size and placing of the second mask,
as well as its proximity to three hatchets located at the level of
the pelvis, and also found in o ther Maya burials, indicate that it
may have been part of d1e ceremonial belt.
The discovery of the Red Queen's masks adds on to that of
the tombs of the Temple of Inscriptions, of the XVIII-A Temple
and of the Forgotten Temple, and , thus, confirms the funerary
use of these objects by the ruling elite of the ancient city of
Palenque .
AJ'noldo Gonza lez Cruz, Archaeologist, Director of the Proyecto Arqueo-
16gico Palenque, ll'lAH.
THE JADE IVIASKS
OF DZIBANCHE,
QUINTANA ROO
E NRIQ UE NALDA
Five jade masks have been found in Dzibanche, four that are as-
sociated w ith burials, and one iliat is part of an isolated offering,
most likely related to the renovation ritual that meant the con-
struction of a new temple and the partial or total destruction of
the one that remained hidden. Of iliese masks, on e is from the
Early Classic Period and the rest from d1e Late Classic. The num-
ber of mosaic tiles with w hich the masks were made varies, al-
though it seems to be correlated with their date: from the 175 of
the Early Classic mask to the 61 of the most recent of the Late
Classic masks , including the 142, 115 and 81 mosaic tiles of the
masks from the periods in between. In additio n to these pieces,
o ne has to include the mother of pearl and obsidian ones that
made out the eyes and are invariably found on all the masks .
The mask from the Early Classic was found in the building
that surmounts the Acropolis of the Kinichna Group, within a
vaulted chamber where the remains of two individuals of differ-
ent social rank, as we ll as that of a jaguar, were laid. The mask
was fo und on the skull of one of the individuals, the one pro-
fusely adorned. It is not possible to assert whether, at the mo-
ment of inhumation, the mask covered the face , o r whether it
was placed to its side. If the latter is true, the mask would have
been placed very close to the face since the individual's head
was found resting in a ceramic plate alongside the mosaic tiles,
disarticulated because of the deterioration of ilie glue used to fix
and hold them together.
Of the other three masks found in the context of burials, one
was found in a va ulted chamber, number 2, of the Building of
the Cormorants of the site's Main Group. Similarly to that
of Kinichna, the position of the mask with respect to the skull at
the time of inhumation is unknown. In fact, there is no certainty
that the mask was ever part of anyone's funerary effects since no
human remains were found in the chamber. The existence of a
burial is inferred from the presence of stains apparently of or-
ganic origin on the chamber's floor, as we ll as from the position
E NG LI SH VERSION / 81
of a pectoral, a bracelet, the very mask and other adornments,
in relation to the stains. Given these conditions -the non-exis-
tent preservation of the skeletal remains- the mask can only be
placed generally, close to the supposed skull.
The evidence regarding the position of the other two "funer-
ary" masks with respect to the face is more solid . One was re-
trieved in the inferior chamber, number 4, of the Temple of the
Cormorants. It was found on top of the left shoulder of the in-
humed individual, of unquestionably high rank telling from the
abundance and quality of the objects offered. The other mask
was discovered in a cist (a box or chest, usually of stone, con-
taining sacred utensils) in the highest level of the Building of the
Cormorants' platform, a few centimeters under the temple's floor.
Contrarily to that discovered in chamber 4, the mask from this
cist is associated to the inhumation of an individual that con-
tained no offerings except for a small knife and an exhausted
core, both of obsidian. The conservation conditions of this mask
allow for the determination of its propot1ions prior to the dete-
riOI'ation of the glue: it was 20 cm high and 14.5 cm wide. It was
placed on the left shoulder of the inhumed individual , with its
top rim at the height of the clavicle, and, contrarily to the other
masks, it was found without any earflares .
The variety of contexts in which the five masks were found
does not allow for a generalization regarding their purpose. With-
out a doubt, jade alone had great symbolic value among the
Maya . Although it did not necessarily have the same meaning,
jade was always considered a precious material. During all peri-
ods, the proliferation of looting by the very Maya in order to ex-
tract objects made out of jade that were later deposited in new
offerings gives faith to this evaluation.
Several archaeologists, including Eric Thompson, based on
the Chi/am Balam de Chumayel, have ascertained that jade, be-
cause of its color, referred to maize. Thus, it was the symbol of
life itself. If this were the case, it would be awkward that jade
would have been part of the ritual paraphernalia of burial, its
opposite. The well-established custom among the Maya of plac-
ing a jade bead inside the mouth of the inhumed individual is
equally inexplicable. It is vety likely that jade, as well as the
masks , had multiple meanings. The fact that jade was found in
burials inside cists or vaulted chambers , as well as in caches ,
shows that is was a material that was not possibly associated
with the ulterior life of those buried. The fact that the masks
were related to people of high status, but also to individuals
who, judging by the scarcity or absence of offerings during their
inhumation, had a much lower social distinction, shows that
they are not necessarily symbols of authority. The fact that the
masks are generally placed not on, but next to the head of
the inhumed person makes us think that they might have been
insignias, and, that these insignias were deserved by individu-
als of different social rank. The retrieval of new masks and the
careful registration of their context Will, without a doubt, shed
more light on this enigma.
Enrique aida. Archaeologist and doctor in Antl1ropology. Member of the
Scientific Committee of this magazine. He is a scholar of the Direcci6n de
Investigaci6n y Conservaci6n del Patrimonio Arqueol6gico, INAH .
82 / ARQ UEOLoc lA MEXlCANA
THE MASKS OF
OXKINTOK, YUCATAN
PETER SCH MIDT S .
The great site of Oxkintok, where several mosaic masks have
been found , is located in the western Yucatan, close to its pre-
sent day borders with Campeche and the spur of the Puuc moun-
tainous region. The site belongs to the Maxcanu municipality and
is 55 km southwest of Merida and 24 km northeast of the ancient
city of Uxmal.
In recent years, two important archaeological projects have
been carried out in Oxkintok: one from 1986 to 1991 , made up
of a Spanish-Mexican team, and directed by Miguel Rivera Dora-
do, and from 1996 to 2003, the site was explored and restored by
Ricardo Velazquez Valades, scholar from the Centro INAH Yucatan.
The largest concentrations of monumental architecture in the
northern Yucatan Peninsula can be found in this site, some of
whose buildings, because of their volume and height, can be
seen from great distances in the plains. Unfortunately, the site
was abandoned and suffered systematic looting for many years.
The work from these recent projects has been trying to remedy
and revert this.
Many of the stelae found in Oxkintok record the actions and
life of its rulers. However, many of the texts are brief and the
sculptures are not well preselved because of advanced erosion
and the destruction induced by looting.
Here, we present two pieces from the tombs found in the com-
plex of buildings known as the Grou p Ah Canul, one of the main
complexes in Oxkintok's center, comprised of 22 large buil-
dings that stand out because of their variety. To the south, large
buildings called palaces predominate, whereas, to the north,
pyramids, temples , altars and other structures are orga~ized
around a great plaza.
Within this group that had long constructive and occupation
sequences, the lintels that were reused in later periods, and that
record dates corresponding to the Early Classic, can be appreci-
ated, as well as a majestic palace that shows human-like sculpt-
ed columns from the Late and Terminal Classic Periods.
T HE MASK FROM T OMB 5 OF STRUCfURE CA-3
This mosaic mask, almost of natural proportions, is made out of
jade, obsidian and other materials. It comes from tomb 5 of Struc-
ture CA-3 and was found under two floors of the building'S cen-
tral room, located to the north of Group Ah Canul; its purpose
has not yet been cleared up.
One of Structure CA-3's sides delimits the northern plaza of
Group Ah Canul, and the other looks out, through a large val-
ley, towards the great X-emtzil structure on the highest point of
the mountainous region . The structure is made up of tiu-ee par-
allel corridors that run from east to west. On the central area of
the middle corridor's floor, an oval-shaped cavity was found, in
whose bed-a leveling without stucco finishing-lay a secondary
burial with its offering, the whole covered by a coarse construc-
tion made up of three irregular stone slabs; the remains were
concentrated in the eastern half.
The remains corresponded to that of a mature male, and were
laid without anatomical order, once dty and without body mass.
The loss of denture while alive, ossifications and osteophytic
rims , prove the individual's advanced age (according to a study
by Carlos Serrano and Andres del Angel).
The funerary effects were made up of a fluted black ceramic
vessel, of Mazul Fluted type; a necklace made up of 13 shell an-
~ ~\1M~]Ii~lIt~:~1I~[ff~~~~'Clfi~1};E::~~~~i.i~~:~11~<j
nular beads and 13 made out of jade; a stingray spine, proba-
bly used as an instrument for self-sacrifice; and a mosaic mask
made out of jade and other stones , the subject of this article,
that has been relatively easily restored since much of its frame
made out of reinforced stucco and sheets of silex, fragments of
pottery and shell, was preserved. The mask 's surface was made
up of small jade tiles ; the eyes , lips, and headdress, were
made from other materials , cut and carved for that purpose. It
had traces of red pigment that originally covered its exterior,
which was probably applied while the person who used the
mask was still alive Cas a part of the dress?) or during some rit-
ual while preparing the funerary bundle or the very burial. It is
likely that a possible intentional destruction of the mask corre-
sponded to this same moment.
It is also possible that the mask somehow expressed the rank
of the deceased, in life as part of his dress , just as the identifiable
masks that adorned the ceremonial belts of rulers; or in the jour-
ney to the other world, as the masks found in front of the face
or on the higher part of the funerary bundle seem to indicate.
It is also worth mentioning that the very elaborate, although
not yet restored, mask with its three large oval harmonious
plaques , and a typical example of a mask belonging to a cer-
emonial belt , was also found in Oxkintok (in tomb 1 of the
Satunsat).
Based on its pottelY and architecture, one can assert that tomb
CA-3I5, excavated thanks to the Spanish-Mexican project in 1998,
dates back to the Middle Classic Period, around AD 550 to 630.
T HE BIRD OF TOMB 8 OF STRUC11JRE CA-14
The latter is a pendant in the shape of a bird 's head and made
up of shell and conch mosaics. It was found in a much more for-
mal and richly equipped tomb, in the number 4 substructure of
Structure CA-14. It is a very high construction that stands out in
the western part of group and looks out, through a great plaza,
onto the groups Ah May, Satunsat and Ah Dzib. This building
was excavated in 2001 by the Oxkintok Project of the INAH, un-
der the leadership of archaeologist Ricardo Velazquez Valades
(rip) . During the d igs, whose purpose was to explore the sub-
structures and clear up their constructive sequence, the afore-
mentioned tomb was found in the southern part of the building,
on the floor associated with d1e fourth substnlcture, lightly stand-
ing out, which is why it is possible that it was introduced prior
to the construction of the next architectural phase.
The tomb is made up of rectangular carved stones. It is rec-
tangular, and roofed by three rows of stone slabs, whose interi-
or was kept empty of rubble and filling, showing that it was an
integral part of the architecture. Unfortunately, the burial was
velY badly preserved and the skeletal remains, currently being
studied, are greatly fragmented. According to the information
provided by archaeologist Ricardo Velazquez and his assistants,
the skeleton seemed to have been p laced facing downwards ,
and with its head towards the east. According to a first anthropo-
logical evaluation, it belonged to a male that was between 12
and 14 years old. He had at leas two sharpened teeth with round
jade inlays.
The skeleton was mixed with the thin layer of dirt and peb-
bles that had penetrated the tomb, from which the cubitus, ra-
dius, humerus, two vertebrae , fragments of the skull, the left fe-
mur and part of the foot, stood out.
A rich offering of pottelY wid1 objects of personal adornment
for the journey to the other world and some instruments that
might have identified the individual as a specialist in some sort
of craft specific to the elite and in writing, were found around
and partially on the deceased.
Nine ceramic vessels, two of which show an important icono-
graphic content, stand out. They were covered with reliefs of a
style known as Chochola , with a hematite bath applied after
they had been fired. One was an earthenware bowl with repre-
sentations of the bicephalous serpent and, the other, a vase that
seems to depict the fleshed mouth of the underworld, the world
tree and birds and gods. The rest of the vessels are simpler: two
earthenware bowls, another vase , and four different types of tri-
pod plates.
Five greenstone beads were also found-four of them globu-
lar and one tubular- as well as a ring-shaped earflap made out
of the same material, a simple pendant made out of Spondylus
shell, fifteen long bone instruments and a bird mask, the subject
of this article. Originally made up of numerous tablets made
out of various materials of mollusk and bone, the mask was found
completely disarticulated and dispersed. In contrast, the bones
are surprisingly well preserved: iliese were what seems to be five
long needles, eight spatulas with the representation of a hand
wearing a bracelet on one extremity, and points or palettes on
the other, as well as a needle-shaped bone with a long hiero-
glyphic inscription. The spatulas look velY much like the insnu-
ments that scribes, or animals represented as scribes, hold in the
scenes depicted on polychrome vases . For this purpose, it is like-
ly that a fine brush was tied to their tip. The piece that, without
a doubt, provides the most information, in addition to the mask
and the engraved vases, is the bone with the inscription that is
still awaiting a detailed reading. Up until now, d1e only iliing that
is known (thanks to the preliminalY information provided by
David Stuart) is that its assigned owner was a king of Oxkintok,
also referred to in other texts and ceramic vessels of the site. Its
dating back to ilie first part of the Late Classic (AD 650-750) cor-
responds perfecdy with what is indicated by the pottery. The as-
sociation between ilie individual buried in tomb 8 and the rul-
ing class is confirmed by the richness of the offering and by the
privileged position of the burial, although his young age repre-
sents a challenge for the investigation.
Peter Schmidt S. Doctor in archaeology from the University of Hamburg.
Archaeology Commissionate to Belize 0968-1973). Scholar of the INAH
since 1977. Director of the Museo Regional de Antropologia de Yucatan
0983-1993) and of the Proyecto Arqueol6gico Chichen Itza, from 1993
until today.
"IVIAVA FACES:
LINEAGE AND POVVER"
(THE EXHIBITION)
R O BERTO L6P EZ BRA VO
INTRODUCTION
For centuries, the ancient Maya have captured our imagination.
The remains of d1eir majestic cities have attracted travelers, artists,
historians, collectors, archaeologists, restorers , and, in the last
few decades, epigraphists. For a very long time, the Maya were
considered a mysterious civilization, a distant theocratic people
who, despite having lived in one of the most indomitable envi-
ronments , managed to erect magnificent cities that were, in the
end, devoured by the jungle. Nowadays, thanks to the work of
a group of scholars , the mystelY around the Maya begins to lift.
E NG LISH VERSION 1 83
Thus, new interpretations, as well as less well-known pieces, are
shown in this exhibition, thanks to the progress, during the last
tlu-ee decades, of the studies on Maya culture. Among other var-
ious topics, this presentation offers an approach to the ajawo 'oh
or "rulers" of the Maya cities, the political and social organiza-
tion that they presided, as well as to the worship associated with
their apotheOSiS, and to the objects that faithfully reflect their
power.
In this exhibition the jadeite masks from the present states of
Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo , are united for
the first time , and, thus, allow for the analysis, from different
points of view, of the faces of the rulers in Classic Period Maya
society (AD 200-900).
ANCIENT IVIAVA TERRITORV
Maya territory embraces five states of modern Mexico and some
regions of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The ancient
inhabitants of this area of contrasting environments, including
from the coasts and Lowlands to the Chiapas and Guatemalan
Highlands, enjoyed abundant natural resources that were ex-
ploited and taken advantage of without restrictions. Other re-
sources such as obsidian and basalt from Guatemala had a much
more limited circulation since their commerce was controlled by
the ruling elite. Exchange with other regions of Mesoamerica al-
lowed for the arrival of luxurious and exotic materials , such
as shells from the Pacific Ocean and the coasts of present day
Sinaloa, Nayarit, jalisco and Michoacan, as well as different
"greenstones" from Guerrero.
The first Maya settlements date back to the Preclassic Peri-
od. Around 400 BC, in Nakbe, El Mirador and Calakmul, the
first large settlements, that included very large pyramidal plat-
forms and commemorative monuments, were built. Around AD
200, at the beginning of the Classic Period, the development of
a writing system allowed for the actions of each city's rulers to
be recorded in stone in a detailed fashion. The majority of the
great political centers , such as Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque , To-
nina, Yaxchilan, Edzna , Oxkintok and Dzibanche, among oth-
ers, also developed during this period. Around AD 900, most
of these cities were abandoned. It is possible that the popula-
tion's high density, and the over exploitation of natural re-
sources , led to the crisis and decline of the Classic Maya cities '
political and economic order. However, the Maya continued to
inhabit the Mexican southeast and their descendents can still
be found among us.
THE AJAVVO"OB OR THE RULERS
During the Classic Period (AD 200-900) the splendor and aban-
donment of many settlements, located in the plains and moun-
tains of the Mexican southeast, occurred. Nowadays, these set-
tlements are considered cities because of the different activities
that took place in them, such as the manufacture of various ob-
jects, the specialized rituals and ceremonies, and otl1er activities
not directly related to agriculture and subsistence, just as in our
modern cities. Control over resources and over minor popula-
tions created rivalries among lineages that were frequently set-
tled through armed confrontations. These cities shared common
cultural traits such as religiOUS symbols, architecture and writ-
ing, although with regional variations. An outstanding aspect was
the consolidation of power by a group of rulers who exercised
political and military control over the rest of the population.
84 1 ARQ UEOLOGiA MEXICANA
Rulers justified the ir rise to power through their belonging to a
prestigious lineage that proclaimed a divine order. The ruling
lineage's survival included demonstrations of its wealth through
the construction of ostentatious palaces and temples, decorated
with numerous portraits of the rulers who built them.
The ajawo 'oh or rulers were invested with the maximum earth-
ly authority and were also the mediators for the communication
with the sacred. This explains the origin of the title k'uhul ajaw
or "sacred lord". In addition, they were identified with the Maize
God that was represented as a youth in the prime of life ; this is
why, even if the rulers could be of an advanced age, they were
almost always represented as if they were young.
SVIVIBOLS OF PO\NER
Because of its color, or because it was a rare material, jade had,
ever since Olmec times, at least two meanings: one symbolic, re-
lated to the annual renovation of nature that was linked to the
agricultural cycle, and one economic, because of its rarity and
restricted use it was allotted a high value. The latter explains the
frequent reuse of the pieces, some probably inherited from gen-
eration to generation. A good deal of the objects worn by the
ajawo 'oh were made out of jade, such as earflares, pendants,
pectorals, belts and scepters, all symbols of power.
In the Maya region and in Central America, jade can be found
in jadeite as well as in other materials such as diopside, chryso-
prase, albite, serpentine, ureyita and malachite , all colored with
green and bluish tones . Although jadeite stands out for its translu-
cence, the use of the other materials with greenish tones by the
ancient Maya suggests that they were all symbolically equiva-
lent.
The best known jadeite deposit is located in the valley of the
Motagua River, in Guatemala; from there , the mineral was trans-
fen-ed to the rest of the Maya region and to present day Hon-
duras and Costa Rica. On their part, serpentine and malachite
(sometimes generically known as "greenstones") are abundant
outside the Maya region , in the State of Guerrero, for example_
Other objects of great symbolic importance were made out of
shells from the Pacific Ocean or out of flint, both exotic materi-
als of great value.
IVIASKS : FACES OF DEATH
The ancient Maya believed that, when they died people initiat-
ed a voyage towards the underworld , as shown by the expres-
sion ochah-hi or "entered the path", alluding to the path that the
recently deceased had to follow towards the depths of the earth.
The location of the buria l and the quality of the offering were
contingent on the social position of the individual. The ajawo 'oh
were buried inside large underground chambers with rich fu-
nerary effects , sometimes accompanied by the bodies of sacri-
ficed individuals, a way to show their high social rank. Among
the various objects deposited , the jade masks attract our atten-
tion. Two types have been identified: the portrait-mask that gen-
erally covered the inhumed individual 's face , and others of
smaller proportions that belonged to belts and scepters. Chro-
nologically, the majority of the masks date from the Classic Pe-
riod , although their origin goes back to the Olmec tradition of
tl1e Preclassic. Geographically, masks have been retrieved in prac-
tically all the Maya region, although most frequently in large po-
litical capitals such as Calakmul and Palenque, in Mexico , and
Tikal, in Guatemala. Considered faithful representations of the
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deceased during the prime of their life, the masks compared
the ruler to the Maize God who, like the seed planted in the earth,
waited for his opportunity to come back in the shape of a new
plant as the annual cycle continued.
THE RETURN OF JANAAB"PAKAL
In 1952, a discovery was made in Palenque that marked the
later development of Maya archaeology. While excavating
the inside of the Temple of Inscriptions, archaeologist, Alber-
to Ruz Lhuillier, found the first royal tomb in Mesoamerica.
Later research has shown that the building was constructed so
as to shelter the remains of K'inich ]anaab' Pakal, "Bird Shield-
]anaab'of Solar Face", an individual who ruled Palenque be-
tween AD 615 and 683, during the time of the city's consoli-
dation as regional political power. Nowadays, thanks to this
finding, it is known that many of the pre-Hispanic pyramidal
platforms were built so as to honor specific rulers and not
only deities.
On the edge of the slab of K'inich ]anaab' Pakal's sarcopha-
gus, historic events of his life and that of his ancestors are nar-
rated, dates of bilth, enthronement and death, as well as the mo-
mentofhis descent to the world of the dead. In the latter, inscribed
on the front of the slab, the ruler is represented in the prime
of his life and with the traits of God K'awiil, patron of rulers
and agriculture.
After his death, Pakal was transformed into the most presti-
gious ancestor of the local dynasty, as was recorded, after his
rule, in the inscriptions that assigned him titles such as "lord of
the pyramid", referring to the important space that he occupied
in t11e collective imaginary.
A FACE REVEALED
The mask that covered the face of ]anaab' Pakal is already an
emblematic object of Maya archaeology. Manufactured for his
funerary effects, it was originally made up of some 300 jade pieces
or mosaic tiles, placed over a stucco and wooden frame. At the
time of its discovery, the mask had lost its frame and the tiles
were disarticulated. Thanks to the meticulous record of their con-
text, Alberto Ruz was able to make a first assembly where many
of the pieces were placed in their original position, although the
face did not look natural. In later assemblies, specialists tried to
correct this problem by arbitrarily modifying the position of the
mosaics. After 50 years, the materials of the modern frame were
deformed and were , therefore, putting the stability of the piece
at risk.
In the midst of this situation, it was decided to attempt a faith-
ful reconstruction of the mask on a new frame. An interdiscipli-
nalY team analyzed numerous drawings and photographs of the
dig, allowing them to place the bulk of the pieces in their origi-
nal position. Later, based on anatomical traits, volume, symme-
try and bevels, it was possible to complete this complicated puz-
zle. Nowadays, the mask is, once again, the faithful portrait of
the in1portant ruler.
GENEALOGY OF PO\NER
The development of a writing system allowed for events car-
ried out by the ajaw, or ruler of each city, to be recorded. The
preserved inscriptions are the memory of the ajawo 'ob or rulers'
actions: constructions carried out during their rule , participa-
tions in military actions, marriages and the designation of heirs.
On the other hand , the glyphs known as emblem glyphs, that
identified the territories ruled by the cities and their names, are
also known.
The names of the rulers that have been deciphered up until
now are part oflonger series of names and titles, where the names
of deities and other supernatural beings are also included. In
some cities, the preference for certain names has been identi-
fied. These names were used over several successive genera-
tions: for example, Yuknoom in Calakmul, Itzamnaaj B'alam in
Yaxchilan, and Ahkal Mo' Nahb' in Palenque.
Although succession to power was established in a patrilin-
eal manner, when political events were meriting, it was also ac-
cepted that it be matrilineal. Most of the rulers were males, al-
though, in sites such as Palenque and Naranjo, some women inhe-
rited the right to rule and ascended to power. The children
the rulers received the title ch 'ok or "young [princeJ ", while
the eldest son was called b'aah ch 'ok or "main heir".
Female burials with abundant offerings, associated to or near-
by the burials of the rulers of Copan , Palenque and Calakmul,
have been recently found. Although the identity of these women
is often not mentioned, this association shows that they were the
rulers' main wives.
ROYAL ANCESTOR \NORSHIP
The Maya held a constant relationship with their dead. The most
important ancestors of each lineage were honored and respect-
ed by their descendants. It was believed that the ancestors resided
the underworld and that they were in touch with the deities
and, thus, could intervene in favor of their descendants with the
a sacred, and therefore worshiped, force. Each family'S ances-
tors were remembered in family sanctuaries located inside the
house, whereas the royal ancestors were publicly conm1emorat-
ed in temples built over their tombs. The characteristics of their
worship as well as the ritual paraphernalia used for this purpose
are known. Obsidian knives and stingray bones were used for
auto-sacrifice in order to draw blood that was later burnt with
copal in incense burners. The smoke volutes adopted the shape
of serpents and it was believed that the ancestor emerged from
their fangs. It seems that the serpent was associated to the con-
stant regeneration of life which is why plants and tr'ees were also
identified with the ancestors.
The cities' civic spaces were places devoted to the worship
of the royal ancestors that interceded as much for the commu-
nity's well being as for the continuity of the ruling lineage. Some
scholars have suggested that each phase of the ruler's life had
an echo in the annual cycle of the maize plant. Therefore, by
having jade masks placed in their funerary effects, rulers and the
rest of the population were symbolically united by a common
interest: survival.
In this exhibition, we have shown some of the rulers' faces that
were worshiped as protecting ancestors of the ancient Maya cities.
These were people with individual names, characteristic traits and
a constant presence in urban centers. Indeed, d1eir remains lay in-
side special constructions and their faces still decorate public build-
ings. They are Maya faces d1at, from more than a thousand years
of distance, we are merely beginning to recognize.
RObellO L6pez Bravo. Archaeo logist. Director of the site museum of Pale n que .
Translation: Sandra Rozental
E NG LISH V ERSION / 85
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