It is difficult to say whether this elaborately costumed demon represents an imaginary monster or simple a priest in disguise. Mayan art is full of such ambiguities: the boundaries between...
It is difficult to say whether this elaborately costumed demon represents an imaginary monster or simple a priest in disguise. Mayan art is full of such ambiguities: the boundaries between the temporal world and that of the spirits are frequently blurred. Little distinction was made between the mythic and the tangible. This particular deity appears to be a jaguar God; though his mouth is open with protruding tongue, this is most likely a gesture of benevolent protection, meant to frighten away evil. Traces of bright blue pigment stll adorn this whistle, blown during religious festivals. Its rich, melancholy tone evokes the glories of a fantastic vanished world.