Head of K’inich Ajaw (the sun god),

600–800

Although most façade stucco work from the Maya area deteriorated over the last millennia of tropical rains, fragments found in fill and select, intentionally preserved examples indicate much Classic-period ceremonial architecture was richly draped in modeled decoration. Such stucco, incorporating dense, almost 'baroque,' imagery and lengthy hieroglyphic inscriptions, served to define buildings functionally and to enliven them, effectively imbuing buildings with potent, sacred agency. This small head, boldly modeled for dramatic effect in the intense raking light of the tropical sun, provides an excellent example of this largely lost artistic tradition. This particular sculpture portrays a major member of the Maya pantheon, the sun god (K'inich Ajaw, lit. 'sun-faced lord'), portrayed in prototypical fashion. K'inich Ajaw's diagnostic iconography includes crossed eyes with squared pupils within over-sized orbits, a so-called 'Roman' nose, a single central shark tooth in the upper gum or, more commonly, a pair of teeth filed to together form a T shape (a sign for breath), breath-curls emanating from the corners of the mouth, and a conventionalized quadripartite symbol for sun (k'in), infixed either on the forehead (frontal and in-the-round representations) or on the cheek (profile depictions). Given the pervasive penchant for stucco architectural decoration and the iconographic consistency in the rendition of deities throughout the Southern Maya Lowlands, it is difficult to determine where this stucco was made.