Pre-Columbian, Classic Maya, ca. 300 to 900 CE. An incredibly carved and well-preserved hacha, hewn from a large chunk of grey volcanic rock, crafted as one of the ritual items associated with the Mesoamerican ballgame. Like this one, hachas often depict heads, flattened to resemble a symbolic axe - hence the name "hacha," meaning "axe" in Spanish. Here, the head has deep, oval eyes, a wide nose, and a mouth whose fleshy lips are curved downward in a frown. The eye probably once had inlaid stone or shell based on other known examples. The face is framed by huge, square earrings with nicely depicted dangling items - perhaps meant to represent thin feathers or beads. On his head, he wears a fanged jaguar headdress, with the wide, round eye of the jaguar staring at the viewer, its bulbous form providing a contrast to the deep-set human eye below it. The animal's fangs curve downward alongside the face's heavy brow. An uncarved, tab-like projection extends from the back of the piece, used for attachment. Size: 1.25" L x 6" W x 6.7" H (3.2 cm x 15.2 cm x 17 cm)

The Mesoamerican ballgame was a ritual event, not just for entertainment (although it would have been that too!), and as a result had elaborate attire and accessories. Stone hachas were not actually used to play the game, but instead were probably worn or carried, hafted onto wooden poles like standards, in ritual processions where the elite sponsors of the game displayed them to demonstrate their wealth - like seeing the owners of your local team out on the field after a championship win or on Opening Day. The jaguar headdress worn by the figure depicted here is also a symbol of power and wealth, connected to the act of tearing out a human heart as a ritual sacrfice. Some of the deities of the Mayan pantheon wore similar headdresses, and the design of this jaguar's face looks similar to that worn by the Jaguar Paddler God in Stela 2 from Ixlu (Peten, Guatemala). This hacha must have belonged to someone with great power and wealth.

Provenance: ex Miami, USA collection, acquired by descent, originally acquired in 1970

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#126528

Very light surface scratching and pitting. Incredible preservation of details and form.