A mask worthy of a king

This exciting mask is probably one of the archaeological artifacts and more popular in all the mayan art.

It was found in 1952 by the archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier and was part of a series of important discoveries in the archaeological site of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico.

The mask was deposited as part of the grave goods of the ruler K’inich Janaab Pakal, who ruled the kingdom of Baakal between 615 and 683 d.C. The purpose of the mask was to cover the face of the ruler as part of your outfit mortuary.

Although it is not visible in the photos in this publication, the mask was accompanied by an enormous amount of jewelry, among which are two large ear-rings and a large necklace of jade beads.

The mask is composed of 349 fragments of jade, polished and carved to perfection. The eyes are made of shell and the iris is made of two disks of obsidian.

The mouth is half open and has a symbol that resembles an uppercase ‘T’, whose meaning is ‘air’ and was closely linked both with the iconography of Palenque as with the funerary rites of the mayans.

Without hesitation, this masterpiece deserves all the recognition it has, because it is one of the works finest and most sophisticated in the ancient mayan art.

© Images taken from the media library of the INAH. D. R. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico. The piece is currently being exhibited at the National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City.