Pre-Columbian, Vera Cruz / Maya, ca. 500 to 950 CE. A magnificent example of a ceremonial hacha depicting a human head donning an arched headdress/headband upon a high, crested forehead, hand-carved from a grey stone with hints of soft pink hues. Most hachas represent human heads, like this example, although the skulls and heads of animals, such as jaguars, birds, bats, deer and monkeys, are also depicted. What makes this visage particularly fetching is how the sculptor created rich contrasts between naturalistic and abstract stylized features. For instance, those enormous, deeply set, round eyes - an exaggerated shape perhaps to connote the all-seeing nature of this individual - contrasts greatly with the relatively naturalistic full nose, fleshy cheeks, and parted voluminous lips of the face. Custom, museum-quality stand. Size: hacha measures 6.5" L x 6.25" W x 8.125" H (16.5 cm x 15.9 cm x 20.6 cm); 10.75" H (27.3 cm) on stand

Hachas were associated with the ritual Mesoamerican ball game, though they were not actually part of the player's equipment. Instead these were worn during ritualistic ceremonies related to the game. The name stems from the fact that they were believed to be axe-heads; hence the term hacha (Spanish for axe). Based on ceramic figurines and stone carvings, some authors have proposed that they were meant to be attached to yugos (yokes). Others suggest that some of the hachas could have served as ball court markers. While their actual use is still unclear to scholars, but they are often associated with yugos in burials.

Provenance: Ex-private Kentucky collection

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#118218

Small loss to back of lower left jawline. Otherwise normal surface wear with abrasions to peripheries.