Chojolom is a small

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

archaeological site in the western

highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. The site features a number of sculpted stones that are presumed to belong to the Kʼicheʼ Maya culture of the

Postclassic Period Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE – ...

(approximately AD 900–1520). Chojolom is situated on a hill in the municipality of Cantel, in the

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is both the seat of the namesake Department and municipality, in Guatemala. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of above sea level at its lowest part. It may ...

. The municipality is inhabited by Kʼicheʼ Maya to this day, who make up 93.8% of the local population. Cantel is located from the modern city of

at Kilometer 217 on the CA2 Highway. Chojolom is believed to have been a ritual site. ''Chojolom'' means "by the head" in the Kʼicheʼ Maya language, deriving from the root word ''jolom'' ("head"). Local historian Mariano Cornejo has speculated that the depositing of the stone heads and the naming of the hill may be linked.

Sculptures

As of September 2010 three sculpted stone heads have been found at the site; one of an armadillo, one human and one representing a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

. The heads were discovered when mud was cleared away after a period of heavy rain in 2010. One of the stone heads was found in a cave at the site. Ceramics and bones have also been found, which may represent a ritual offering. In addition to the stone heads, a clay head has also been found. A minor landslide in October 2010 revealed a stone altar under a tree root. The Armadillo Head measures approximately . The

nine-banded armadillo The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. It ...

(''Dasypus novemcinctus'') is native to the Cantel region. The Armadillo Head was the first of the three stone heads to have been found by local farmer Sebastián Sam. The Human Head measures . It was the second stone head to be discovered at Chojolom. The Deity Head is the largest sculpture, measuring . It was the third stone head to be found at the site. The Altar measures and bears designs that include circles, hills, human figures and a deer. The combination of six human figures with the deer has been interpreted as a Maya calendrical date by Guatemalan anthropologist Lina Barrios.Rodas 2010-10-05.

Gallery

File:Chojolom 5.jpg, The Human Head sculpture File:Chojolom 8.jpg, The Armadillo Head sculpture

Notes

References

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Sculptures

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Further reading