On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Hacha,
600–1000
Classic Veracruz
Late Classic Period
2016-1219
This skull likely represents a decapitated victim, an opponent either in the ballgame or on the battlefield, as the ballgame was seen as a metaphor for war. However, unlike the other hachas on display here, this example includes a projection or tenon at the rear as opposed to a notch. If worn on the waist, a different form of hip-stone would be needed to support the tenon. Alternatively, this sculpture may have been set into the masonry ball court walls, serving as a marker during the game. Note the difference in texture and color of the stone at the tenon; it seems that the artist chose to use the densest section of the stone for the tenon, a place likely to see more stress.
Information
Title
Hacha
Dates
600–1000
Medium
Vesicular pyroxene basalt
Dimensions
26.8 × 21 × 7.2 cm (10 9/16 × 8 1/4 × 2 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Gillett G. Griffin
Object Number
2016-1219
Place Made
North America, Mexico, Veracruz, Gulf Coast
Culture
Type
Materials
By January 1974, Gillett G. Griffin (1928-2016), Princeton, NJ [1]; 2016, bequest of Gillett G. Griffin to the Princeton University Art Museum.
Notes:
[1] According to dated slides in the Griffin archive.
- Marilyn M. Goldstein, Ceremonial Sculpture of Ancient Veracruz (Brookville: Long Island University, 1987), no. 120, p. 73
- Mary E. Miller, "The Ballgame," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 48, no. 2 (1989): 22–31., p. 29, fig. 14
-
"Acquisitions of the Princeton University Art Museum 2016," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 75/76 (2016-17): 126-157.
, p. 154
