inventory of pre-columbian cart revised - bowers museum · inventory of pre-columbian cart may 2011...

Inventory of Pre-Columbian Cart

May 2011 1

Gold—Long before the arrival of the Europeans and others, native people of Latin America had mastered many metallurgical techniques, including mining, hammering and casting gold to produce jewelry, ornaments, masks and other items. In ancient Latin America gold symbolized power and spiritual wealth, but was never used for money.

Metalwork became an important artistic form early in South American history. Archaeological evidence reveals that indigenous gold was first worked into forms about 1500 BC. For centuries, jewelry expressed rank and privilege, and often possessed ritualistic significance. By the 16th C AD, rumors of the abundance of gold in South and Central America fueled fantastic European legends, such as that of El Dorado, a city with streets paved in gold. Such stories contributed to the overrunning of kingdoms by European conquerors. Fortunately, many delicate creations of pre-Columbian or pre-European period survive intact.

Ecuador, on the northwest coast of South America, is recognized for its superb hammered and cast gold ornaments. Many of these, including nosepieces, crowns, headdresses and earrings were fashioned especially for the nobility. This nose pin has been developed from a hammered gold nose ornament found in Esmeraldas on the south coast of Ecuador.

Gold figure Human figures of this type were carried by shamans and are thought to represent the spirits that empowered and assisted them. The figure is adapted from a cast-gold original found in Panama that dates to AD 900-1500.

This frog man has tingunas (rays) coming from his head, which are a symbol of fertility.


May 2011 2

Gold Necklace With Chain, Black And Gold Beads With Gold Skeleton Fish People This necklace combines shamans and mythical beasts. This piece was purchased in a bazaar in Cartagena, Columbia. The area on the west coast of South America was a major metal working center in ancient times.

Gold Nose Ornament It is shaped like a frog.

Gold pin in the shape of either a King or a Shaman\ The shaman is making sounds, showing his power.

Knife/Dagger (Replica)

This is a tourist type of replica of a Mayan dagger or knife. The blade is obsidian (real), and the handle is some sort of plastic material made to resemble stone, or perhaps jade. Obsidian could be sharpened to a blade edge that is sharper than the finest surgical steel. The edge was made, just as the edges on California Indian arrowheads and spear points by pressure flaking.

Docents may display this knife on three ways, depending on your audience and your interests. 1) Leave it in the case and turn it around so the students can see it on all sides. 2) Open the case and let the students look at it and touch it. 3) Take it out of the case and let them handle it. The blade is rough, but not really sharp.


May 2011 3

Statues Of Women

With Large Headdress And Long Hulpil (wall plaque)

This figure is a rattle in the shape of a Mayan lady wearing the typical apparel of her times: a long sleeveless dress (hulpil) down to the floor. A skirt with blue dye remnants can be seen on the front of the original piece. The woman is holding a disk-like object with both hands and is wearing a large headdress with tassel trimmings.

With Large Earrings and Long Hulpil (3-Dimensional)

This figure is a Mayan noblewoman who is wearing a long hulpil (sleeveless dress) and an elaborate hairstyle.


May 2011 4

Cylinder Vases These brightly painted cylinder vases were use for holding offerings of various sorts, perhaps cacao beans, and were found in graves. One shows a fantastic looking bird. The other shows a seated figure holding a dish, perhaps of corn sprouts. He has a fancy headdress and big earplugs, a status symbol.

Mayan Noblemen This is a copy of a typical Mayan wall carving. It shows Mayan noblemen carrying tribute to either the king or the gods. Under each figure are Mayan glyphs that explain who it is.

Stele at Copan Stelae like this one are found in the ruins of the Mayan city of Copan. They are extraordinary, having extensive inscriptions and sculptures. An altar associated with blood-letting ceremonies was placed in front of each one. The hieroglyphs on each stele describe the ruler that built it, and the reason it was built, such as his ascension to the throne or a significant calendar event.

This is a good object to use to discuss the bloodletting rites of the Mayans. The principal form of blood sacrifice performed by royal women was running a thorn-studded rope through her tongue. This rope was then burned, creating clouds of smoke


May 2011 5

Mayan Ball Players The Mayan Ball Game was filled with ritual importance. Religious leaders, most chieftains and other government leaders attended. Sacred songs were sung and played and other religious rites and rituals were observed.

2 Prints Of Ball Players

Ceramic Figures of Ball Players Mayan nobles are often shown wearing elaborate ball game costumes that were much too heavy and cumbersome to have been worn during a game. Instead, rulers and nobles may have worn outfits that mimicked and exaggerated the clothes worn by actual ball players.

The figure in this grey plaque of a ball player is sporting a hair-do with shaved sections and characteristic scars on his face. Ceremonial sports activities demanded the use of a shield around the waist. This one ends in the head of a serpent. In his hand he holds a ritual element similar to a priest’s bag with a stylized head. On his right knee he wears a protective shield.

These two figures show noblemen dressed for the ritual. Note the protective gear on their legs and arms, and the elaborate headdresses and ear ornaments.


May 2011 6

Seated Chieftain This is an earthenware tomb figure from the Colima area of West Mexico. He wears a headdress with an animal horn. Because of his headpiece and shell necklace, we know he is someone very important.

Seated Male Figure Holding Bowl and Drinking Tube This is an earthenware tomb figure from the Colima area of West Mexico. The prominence of the vessel and drinking tube suggest the importance of ritualized feasting and drinking in festivals sponsored by the leaders of W. Mexico societies. Feasting festivals were held for all life and death events. They were like state dinners with over a dozen held each year. Some Aztec festivals served over 300 plates of food, meats and fruits of all types produced on the lands. The feasts could last for weeks.

Maya Bowl with Sitting Animal

The animal attached to this bowl is probably a coatimundi, perhaps representing a priest in a coatimundi costume. It is likely to have been found in a tomb and was used for offerings, perhaps cacao beans. It is also a whistle that might have been used as part of a ritual before it was put in the grave.


May 2011 7

Jaina Woman With Hat Some of the Jaina figures are modeled, thus allowing craftsmen to create minute sculptures with many trimmings in their garments and ornaments from the Classic times in the Maya world. This elegant lady is wearing a long sleeveless dress (hulpil) with an open neckline revealing one of her breasts. She is wearing jade jewelry and protects herself from the sun with a type of hat similar to those worn at present.

Monkey Bowl This bowl is decorated with symbolic figures of monkeys that refer to the history of the elder brothers from the Popul Vuh “Hun Chuen,” who transformed themselves into monkeys. Their arms are turned up since, according to cosmogonic beliefs, they are holding the world up.

Jade Mask Important Mayan lords were buried with masks made of jade placed over their faces. This copy was made to resemble one found in Palenque, where the tomb of Lord Pakal was found.


May 2011 8

2 Colima Dogs Dogs were supposed to guide their masters to the underworld. There is a myth that during a great flood, a little female dog was sent by the earth goddess to guide the man who would eventually be the last man to the mountain, whereby he was saved from the flood. The little dog transformed into a human woman, thus becoming the mother of mankind. Dogs were also used for meat.

Mayan “Tail of the Dog” Fable

Of the origins of the world, only the dog could speak. He went around everywhere, revealing the secret of the creation of things and the origin of god. When the great god realized the talkative dog could not hold his tongue and keep secrets, the Creator decided: “Let this talker’s marvelous tongue be taken from his head and put it behind him, and let what is now behind him, be attached to his head.” So it is now that when the dog wants to speak and tell things, no expression appears on its face, but there it is behind him, the tail that came from his head. And so the dog has stayed with us, who once betrayed his secrets. And even now, he only moves his tail when he wants to tell us something, or when he is happy with his master.


May 2011 9

Mayan Calendar The ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica developed accurate written calendars and of these, the calendar of the Maya is the most sophisticated. Its precision derives from the fact that it is based on an uninterrupted, continuous count of days (called Kin in Mayan) reckoned from an initial zero day. The Maya counted Kin in several independent calendrical counts that were synchronized. The two most important were the counts of 260 and 365 days. The Maya calendrical counts are written using a combination of numbers and glyphs.

This is a 365-day version.

The Mayan Zodiac (laminated sheets)


May 2011 10

Print of Mayan temple – Palenque

Model of El Castilo at Chichén Itzá From “Maya Ruins of Mexico in Color,” by William A. Ferguson

El Castillo is one of the best-known and most imposing Maya structures in Mexico. It was named by Bishop Landa, who was awed by its grandness and reported that it was dedicated to Kukulcan, the feathered serpent.

Beneath the 190 ft. square and 79 foot high outer temple is a substructure that is slightly smaller. Possibly the outer temple was built on the first fifty-two year cycle after the completion of the inner temple as the Mayas had a penchant for dedicating new structures in thanksgiving to the gods for allowing the world to avoid destruction and continue into the next cycle of time. Although there is no certainty about it, this would place the construction around AD 850. The inner structure has nine stages and only one stairway, and was constructed early in the Post-Classic period, perhaps about AD 800.

The superimposed temple has four grand stairways that lead to a platform on the top of the pyramid where the temple stands. Two stairways have been restored. There are 91 steps to each stairway, making a total of 364 steps, plus one to the top, making a total of 365, which would appear to be related to the number of days in the year. The main entrance to the temple is on the north with two serpent columns and a sanctuary behind. On three sides are vaulted chambers with doorways opening on the east, west and south.

The pyramid has nine terraces of regularly diminishing size. Each terrace is separated by an undecorated molding. The bodies of serpents with heads on the ground form the alfardas (the slanting border to the steps) of the great stairway to the temple. The façade of the temple is essentially without decoration except for a medial and cornice molding with insets between.


May 2011 11

A climb to the temple is a must in order to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of Chichén Itzá. To the north is the sacbe (raised roadway) that connects the main plaza with the Sacred Cenote or Well of Sacrifice; to the west is the Great Ball Court; to the east is the sprawling Temple of the Warriors with the attached Temple of the Thousand Columns and Mercado; to the south is Classic Maya Chichén.

When the existence of an inner temple was discovered, an excavation was made under the north stairway of the Castillo to the stairway of the inner pyramid. The excavation continued upward along this stairway to the inner temple, which was completely covered and located immediately beneath the exterior Castillo temple. Here was found the famous red jaguar.

On the south side of the upper temple is a hole in the floor equipped with a ladder, so that the tourist may climb down into an excavated hole and see a portion of the south façade of the sub-temple of the Castillo. There, protruding from the wall, is a snub-nosed snaggletoothed jaguar head.

The interior temple can be reached through an opening beneath the north stairway of the Castillo and ascending the stone stairway of the inner pyramid. It consists of two rooms, the inner room a step above the outer. In the outer room was a chacmool (a stone figure of a recumbent human male holding a basin or platter on his abdomen) and at the back wall of the inner room was a red-painted jaguar encrusted with jade upon which was a mosaic plaque of turquoise and shell.

The jaguar probably served as a throne for the high priest. Similar thrones can be seen in the low-relief carvings of the lower Temple of the Jaguars across the plaza at the foot of the Great Ball Court. The spots on the coat are represented by inlaid jade disks, the eyes are made of magnificent jade balls, and the fangs are of flint.

The visitor to Chichén Itzá should not fail to make the climb up the narrow stairway inside the Castillo pyramid in order to see this beautiful throne, for it is unusual to find such a chef d’oeuvre as this in situ.

inventory of pre-columbian cart revised - bowers museum · inventory of pre-columbian cart may 2011...

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