Chojolom is a small Maya

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...

 archaeological site in the western highlands

Guatemalan Highlands

The Guatemalan Highlands is an upland region in southern Guatemala, lying between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north....

 of Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

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

K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj

The K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj was a state in the highlands of modern day Guatemala which was founded by the K'iche' Maya in the thirteenth century, and which expanded through the fifteenth century until it was conquered by Spanish and Nahua forces led by Pedro de Alvarado in 1524.The K'iche'...

 of the Postclassic Period

Mesoamerican chronology

Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...

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

Cantel, Guatemala

Cantel is a small municipality in the Quetzaltenango Department in Guatemala, east from the city of Quetzaltenango with an area of 22 km2. The village of Cantel is situated at 2,370 m altitude. The population is 32,221 people....

, in the department

Departments of Guatemala

||Guatemala is divided into 22 departments :#Alta Verapaz#Baja Verapaz#Chimaltenango#Chiquimula#Petén#El Progreso#El Quiché#Escuintla#Guatemala#Huehuetenango#Izabal#Jalapa#Jutiapa#Quetzaltenango#Retalhuleu#Sacatepéquez...

 of Quetzaltenango. The municipality is inhabited by K'iche' Maya to this day, who make up 93.8% of the local population. Cantel is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the modern city of Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....

 at Kilometer 217 on the CA2 Highway. Chojolom is believed to have been a ritual site.

Chojolom means "by the head" in the K'iche' Maya language

K'iche' language

The K’iche’ language is a part of the Mayan language family. It is spoken by many K'iche' people in the central highlands of Guatemala. With close to a million speakers , it is the second-most widely spoken language in the country after Spanish...

, 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. 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 15 by. The Nine-banded Armadillo

Nine-banded Armadillo

The nine-banded armadillo , or the nine-banded, long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos...

 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 50 by. It was the second stone head to be discovered at Chojolom.

The Deity Head is the largest sculpture, measuring 1.1 by. It was the third stone head to be found at the site.

The Altar measures 25 by 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

Maya calendar

The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. and in Chiapas....

by Guatemalan anthropologist Lina Barrios.