Column
Not on view
More than seventy feathers grace the headdress of this standing lord. The long feathers, obtained from the tails of resplendent quetzal birds, were costly trade items. Here, they are attached to flowers, engulfing the king in a cascade of wealth and beauty. A warrior, he holds a shield and a curved obsidian blade. His red face suggests links to the Sun God, hinting at his status as a deified ancestor honored by a smaller, crowned figure standing to the left.
The display of wealth may be deceptive. At this time, many cities lay abandoned and transitions to new artistic styles were taking hold. No glyphic text identifies the figure, a mark of changing cultural practices and fresh ways of relating to the gods and rendering their divine visages.
Columna
Campeche, México
800-900 d. C.
Piedra caliza
El tocado de este señor está adornado con más de setenta largas plumas, que se obtenían de la cola del quetzal resplandeciente y eran valiosos productos de intercambio. Aquí se mezclan con flores para formar una cascada opulenta que envuelve al rey guerrero, quien porta un escudo y una navaja curva de obsidiana. Su rostro rojo sugiere vínculos con el dios del sol. Tal vez se trata de un ancestro deificado y honrado por la pequeña figura coronada que se halla parada a su izquierda.
La ostentación de riqueza puede ser engañosa. En ese entonces muchas ciudades se hallaban abandonadas y comenzaban a definirse nuevos estilos artísticos. No hay glifos que identifiquen al personaje, lo cual indica cambios en las prácticas culturales y nuevas formas de relacionarse con los dioses y representar lo divino.
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