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Incised bone with an accession ceremony
Not on view
Perched on a dais marked with celestial signs in the upper right, the avian deity Itzamnaaj watches over the enthronement of a young lord, seen at the lower right. At left, a dignitary is about to crown the lord with a large headdress portraying Itzamnaaj. By donning the headdress, the ruler embodied the power of the old celestial god: the head of the bird rose above the monarch’s face, while its long wing feathers curved behind.
Hueso labrado con una ceremonia de ascenso
Guatemala, México o Belice
Siglo VII al IX
Hueso, pigmento
En la esquina superior derecha, posado sobre el techo de un estrado marcado con signos celestiales, el dios Itzamnaaj –en su aspecto de ave– presencia el ascenso al trono del joven señor que aparece en la parte inferior derecha. A la izquierda, un dignatario se dispone a coronarlo con un gran tocado con la imagen de Itzamnaaj. Al otorgarle el penacho, el gobernante encarnaba el poder del anciano dios celestial; la cabeza del ave se elevaba sobre el rostro del monarca y las largas plumas de sus alas ondeaban a sus espaldas.
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