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Throne leg

Maya

Not on view

Delicately incised on the leg of a stone bench, this supernatural head, depicted in profile, spells the name of a mythical location. While its full reading is uncertain, the place-name corresponds to a stony waterhole. References to water include fins, aquatic plants, and some of the attributes of the rain god Chahk. A serrated V-shaped mark in the crown of the head indicates that this mythical location was split open, likely to give birth to deities.


Pata de trono
Palenque, México
ca. 784 d. C.
Piedra caliza


Esta pata de una banca de piedra, delicadamente grabada, muestra una cabeza sobrenatural de perfil con el nombre de un lugar mítico. Aunque este no puede leerse con certeza, corresponde a una poza de agua. Las referencias al líquido vital incluyen aletas, plantas acuáticas y algunos rasgos del dios Chahk. La marca en forma de V sobre la coronilla implica que esta localidad mitológica se abrió, probablemente, para que nacieran las deidades.

Throne leg, Limestone, Maya

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Secretaría de Cultura–Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), Mexico, reproduction authorized by INAH; photo by Jorge Perez de Lara