Stele Item Number: 34.5098 from the Brooklyn Museum
Credit Line
Alfred W. Jenkins Fund
Label
The exact function of monumental stone slabs such as this one is unknown because only a few have been found in situ. One example was discovered upright in a cemetery, and scholars believe that such intricately carved stone monuments could have been used as grave markers for important individuals. In the manner of modern-day headstones, the base would have been buried in the ground. This stela is topped with three kneeling human figures wearing jaguar masks. The back of the slab is decorated with eighteen crouching jaguars. The jaguar may have been a totem animal or clan symbol of the deceased.
La función exacta de bloques monumentales de piedra como éste es desconocida, ya que solo unos pocos han sido encontrados in situ. Un ejemplo fue descubierto verticalmente en un cementerio, y académicos creen que monumentos de piedra intrincadamente tallados pueden haberse usado como marcadores de tumbas para individuos importantes. A la manera de lápidas modernas, la base habría estado enterrada. Esta estela está coronada por tres figuras humanas arrodilladas llevando mascaras de jaguar. El reverso de la piedra está decorado con dieciocho jaguares agazapados. El jaguar puede haber sido un animal totémico o un símbolo del clan del difunto.
Item History
- Made between 700 and 1000
What
- Name
- Stele
- Identification Number
- 34.5098
- Type of Item
- “Stele” ?
- Material
- volcanic stone
- Measurements
- “78 9/16 x 23 1/4 x 11 in. (199.5 x 59 x 27.9 cm)” ?
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 700 and 1000
Other
- Location
- Arts of the Americas Galleries, 5th Floor
- Classification
- Sculpture