Mask of Calakmul

MaterialJade, white shell, obsidian

Createdc. 660-750 AD

Discovered1984

PlaceTomb 1 of Structure VII, Calakmul, Mexico

Mask of Calakmul
Maya jade mask
Material	Jade, white shell, obsidian
Created	c. 660-750 AD
Discovered	1984
Place	Tomb 1 of Structure VII, Calakmul, Mexico
Present location	Museo de Arquitectura Maya Baluarte de la Soledad
Period	Classic
Culture	Maya

The Mask of Calakmul is a jade mask considered a masterpiece of the Maya civilization, found in the ancient city of Calakmul, in the state of Campeche, Mexico, as part of the funerary offering in Tomb 1 of Structure VII. The mask is a complex representation of the deified face of a ruler, made up of various iconographic elements from the Maya worldview and mythology that link him to sacred attributes. The mask was created between 660 and 750 AD in the late Classic period of the Maya civilization.^[1]

The Mask of Calakmul is composed of 57 jade tesserae with details of white shell and obsidian, materials that hold profound symbolic weight within the Maya mythology. The mask represents the divinized face of the ruler with an imposing countenance, looking straight ahead with obsidian eyes, his mouth open represents a sacred cave from which the ruler's vital force emerges; this exhalation is captured by a piece of white shell, symbolizing his passage into death. The ruler wears a fine headdress representing the mythological concept of the sacred mountain (witz), featuring details alluding to the maize god and long jade ear ornaments in the shape of four-petaled flowers, referencing the structure of the sacred Maya cosmology, which was defined by four corners and a center connecting earthly space with the celestial realm and the underworld since the creation of the universe. Below these are the fangs of a snake, an animal that, within Mayan mythology, had the ability to move through the three levels of the universe, as well as representing the power of the Kaanu'l (snake) lineage to which the ruler belonged. Below the face, a jade butterfly opens its wings as a symbol of the ruler's soul in motion, this represented the constant cycle and transformation of nature, mirroring the ruler's soul as it transcended into the sacred space.^[2]

It was discovered in 1984 inside tomb 1 of structure VII of Calakmul as part of the rich funerary offerings of a ruler of the Kaanu'l dynasty. Since its discovery, it has become one of the most representative and emblematic works of Maya culture and Mesoamerican art, as well as one of the greatest pre-Columbian archaeological treasures in Mexico. It is currently on display at the Museo de Arquitectura Maya (Museum of Maya Architecture) Baluarte de la Soledad in the city of Campeche.^[3]