Existing comment:
Altar M:
With the muzzle of a jaguar, the teeth and hooded eyes of a reptile, and the spotted ear of a deer, this supernatural animal head represents the hieroglyphic name for a sacred location or a ritual structure. At the back of the beast's head is a short hieroglyphic text with the date with the powerful rule of Quirigua, K'ak'Tiliw, set up the monument, September 154, AD 734. It is the earliest known example of the extensive sculpture program that the king would sponsor during his lengthy reign.
Several titles accompany the name of the ruler, among them that of a five-year ballplayer, although its significance to royal ritual is not made clear. The original location of the monument is unknown since it had been moved before the time of its first discovery. |