Richly dressed standing woman; possibly portraying a lady related to the worship of the gods due to her formal characteristics, haircut, clothing, adornments and the position of her arms and hands in front of her. This lady has her head covered with an elaborate headdress made with an entwined ribbon and decorated with beads that might be jade. Her tiered haircut follows the Mayan stylistic trends of the 8th century favored by high-ranking women and priestesses. When observed from the side, one can see that the forehead stretches backward due to the pronounced cephalic modeling.
The Maya from the Late Classic period designed their images, portraits and sculptures with exaggerated cranial deformation, an aesthetic trait widespread at the time, which did not always faithfully represent reality because, as recognized in the archaeological sites, not all classic Maya modeled their heads; therefore, it is more an artistic trend of the moment than a physical reality.
The woman is dressed in a long huipil with an outer layer or cape associated with priestesses. The huipil is a Pre-Columbian garment which is still used in many Mayan regions. It is made by sewing two pieces of linen together at the sides, leaving holes for the arms. In this case, her attire is made with three pieces of linen sewn together to leave one hanging down the back like a cape.
Figures made with a similar design and style have been found by archaeologists in cities such as Palenque, Chikiniha (both in Chiapas), Tortuguero (Tabasco) and Jaina (in the state of Campeche); therefore it is difficult to grant a specific origin to this piece as each city's designs had their own style which reflected the local trends in these cities, or it may have been imported from other regions.
BIBLIOGRAFÍA
Flores Jiménez, María de los Ángeles. "Figurillas antropomorfas de Palenque". En Arqueología Mexicana, Vol VIII, n° 45 (2000): 44-49.
Peña Castillo, Agustín y Thelma Sierra Sosa. "Cronología y contexto en las figurillas de terracota de la sota del Golfo de México en Xcambó, Yucatán". En Los Investigadores de la Cultura Maya 12. Tomo I (2004): 211-225.
Richly dressed standing woman; possibly portraying a lady related to the worship of the gods due to her formal characteristics, haircut, clothing, adornments and the position of her arms and hands in front of her. This lady has her head covered with an elaborate headdress made with an entwined ribbon and decorated with beads that might be jade. Her tiered haircut follows the Mayan stylistic trends of the 8th century favored by high-ranking women and priestesses. When observed from the side, one can see that the forehead stretches backward due to the pronounced cephalic modeling.
