Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Less than two inches tall, but monumental in its presence and complex in its significance, this beautiful example of Maya lapidary work depicts K’inich Ajaw, Sun-Eyed Lord, the Maya sun god. Carved of jadeite, a material considered most valuable in the Ancient Americas, and depicting a deity from the complex Maya pantheon, the pendant was most likely part of a necklace—perhaps the central element in a string of jade beads—or worn hanging from a belt. Maya men and women wore jewelry made from a variety of materials, but pieces carved from jadeite were especially favored by priests and royalty for the prestige and for the life-affirming symbolism associated with the material.