Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Deities and other supernatural beings are the primary subject matter of much Maya art, including this plaque. Presented atop an altar the Jaguar God of the Underworld is flanked by two other deities. His pose suggests that he is about to be sacrificed, an important religious practice that the Maya and other Mesoamerican people believed was necessary for the continuation of humankind. The Jaguar God can be identified through a number of different features perhaps most noticeably the presence of jaguar paws instead of hands and feet. To his right is the God of Pax, patron of the month with the same name. To the left of the Jaguar God is God L, one of the co-rulers of the underworld.

Shell jewelry was worn on ritual occasions, and suspension holes at the top of the plaque indicate that it could have been worn as a pendant. However, the slightly flared and undecorated bottom portion of the object also could have been tucked into a headdress, belt, or other costume element. Alternatively, the plaque may have been a ritual object that was held or displayed.