Chac Mool
Encyclopedia
Chac-Mool is the name given to a type of Pre-Columbian
Mesoamerican stone statue.
The Chac-Mool depicts a human figure in a position of reclining with the head up and turned to one side, holding a tray over the stomach. The meaning of the position or the statue itself remains unknown.
Chac-Mool statues are found in or around temples in Toltec
and other post-Classic central Mexican sites, and in post-Classic Maya civilization
sites with heavy Toltec influence, such as Chichen Itza
.
The ancient name for these type of sculptures is unknown. The name Chac-Mool is attributed to Augustus Le Plongeon
, who excavated one of the statues at Chichen Itza
in 1875. Le Plongeon named it Chaacmol, which he translated from the Maya as "thundering paw." Le Plongeon claimed the statue was a depiction of a former ruler of Chichen Itza. Le Plongeon's sponsor, Stephen Salisbury of Worcester, Massachusetts, published Le Plongeon's find, but revised the spelling to "Chac-Mool."
Chac-Mools should not be confused with Chaac
, one of the leading deities in Maya mythology
associated primarily with the phenomena of rain and thunder, and with whom they are not associated.
Chac-Mools can be found throughout Central Mexico and Yucatán
. In addition to Tula and Chichen Itza, sites known for Chac-Mools include Mexico City
, Cempoala
, Tlaxcala
, and Quiriguá
in Guatemala.
, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Mesoamerican stone statue.
The Chac-Mool depicts a human figure in a position of reclining with the head up and turned to one side, holding a tray over the stomach. The meaning of the position or the statue itself remains unknown.
Chac-Mool statues are found in or around temples in Toltec
Toltec
The Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
and other post-Classic central Mexican sites, and in post-Classic Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
sites with heavy Toltec influence, such as Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán state, present-day Mexico....
.
The ancient name for these type of sculptures is unknown. The name Chac-Mool is attributed to Augustus Le Plongeon
Augustus Le Plongeon
Augustus Le Plongeon was a photographer and antiquarian who studied the pre-Columbian ruins of America, particularly those of the Maya civilization on the northern Yucatán Peninsula. While his writings contain many eccentric notions that were discredited by later researchers, Le Plongeon left a...
, who excavated one of the statues at Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán state, present-day Mexico....
in 1875. Le Plongeon named it Chaacmol, which he translated from the Maya as "thundering paw." Le Plongeon claimed the statue was a depiction of a former ruler of Chichen Itza. Le Plongeon's sponsor, Stephen Salisbury of Worcester, Massachusetts, published Le Plongeon's find, but revised the spelling to "Chac-Mool."
Chac-Mools should not be confused with Chaac
Chaac
Chaac is the name of the Maya rain deity. With his lightning axe, Chaac strikes the clouds and produces thunder and rain. Chaac corresponds to Tlaloc among the Aztecs.-Rain deities and rain makers:...
, one of the leading deities in Maya mythology
Maya mythology
Mayan mythology is part of Mesoamerican mythology and comprises all of the Mayan tales in which personified forces of nature, deities, and the heroes interacting with these play the main roles...
associated primarily with the phenomena of rain and thunder, and with whom they are not associated.
Chac-Mools can be found throughout Central Mexico and Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
. In addition to Tula and Chichen Itza, sites known for Chac-Mools include Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Cempoala
Cempoala
Cempoala or Zempoala is an important Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the Úrsulo Galván Municipality, in the state of Veracruz...
, Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....
, and Quiriguá
Quiriguá
Quiriguá is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the department of Izabal in south-eastern Guatemala. It is a medium-sized site covering approximately along the lower Motagua River, with the ceremonial center about from the north bank. During the Maya Classic Period , Quiriguá was situated at...
in Guatemala.
Alternative meanings
Chacmool is the name of an annual conference held by the Archaeology Students' Association of the University of CalgaryUniversity of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
- "Chac Mool" is a short story in Los días enmascarados by Carlos FuentesCarlos FuentesCarlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
. - "Chac-Mool" is a character in "The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea" by Cherríe MoragaCherríe MoragaCherríe L. Moraga is a Chicana writer, feminist activist, poet, essayist, and playwright.-Biography:Moraga was born in Whittier, California. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, California and her Master's from San Francisco State University in 1980...
. - "Chac Mool" is the 9th track on Rodrigo and Gabriela's 2009 album 11:1111:11 (Rodrigo y Gabriela album)11:11 is the third studio album by Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. It was released on independent label Rubyworks around the world from 2 September to 8 September 2009. It guest stars Strunz & Farah on the song "Master Maqui" and Alex Skolnick on the song "Atman"...
. - Chac Mool is regarded as a secondary mascot of the online imageboard 420chan.
- Chac Mool is a cenote in the Playa del CarmenPlaya del CarmenPlaya del Carmen is a balneario resort city just south of Cancún on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, in the northeast of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The city is the seat of the Solidaridad municipality. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 149,923 people and it is rapidly growing...
(22km south of) district of Mexico.