Maya Politics and Ritual: An Important New Hieroglyphic Text on a Carved Jade From Belize

Abstract

We describe a remarkable artifact discovered during our 2015 excavations at the Maya site of Nim li Punit, Belize. It is a T-shaped jade pectoral worn on the chest by ancient Maya kings during rites in which they scattered copal incense (Figure 1). These rituals are described or depicted on six carved stone monuments (stelae) at the site. What is more, two stelae at the site depict rulers wearing the pectoral. The reverse side of the jade contains a long historical hieroglyphic text. Had the piece been recovered by illegal means and ended up in a private collection, much of the text would make little sense and it could not possibly be ascribed to Nim li Punit. The priceless worth of the Nim li Punit pectoral, therefore, lies not only in its hieroglyphic inscription but also in its known archaeological context and contemporary images of its use. We briefly describe that context and present a translation of the important text on the jade pectoral, which we interpret as a “wind jewel.”

Making money in Mesoamerica: Currency production and procurement in the Classic Maya financial system

“…Uxbenka, the earliest large site in this area, displayed a stela around 400 CE that celebrated its connections to Tikal (Wanyerka , 212–14). Nim Li Punit records familial relations with Cahal Pech (Prager and Braswell ) and makes tangential references to places and people associated with Copan, Quirigua, and southeastern Peten (Wanyerka ). Pusilha appears to have warred with Altun Ha but was otherwise free of conflict (Prager, Volta, and Braswell ; Wanyerka , 106).…”

Solar Observatory or Allegory? Calakmul's Group E-Type Complex Form and Function

“…Of these sites, Calakmul has an E-Group that may have been the location of the event. We do not yet know its exact transcription (Prager and Braswell 2016), but the very last hieroglyph on the jade pectoral could be a reference to a three-stone place from north central Belize or eastern Peten. Residue analysis, if used to successfully characterize organic remains on the Nim li Punit or the Pusilha eccentric flint lances, may reveal new data.…”

Demystifying jadeite: an underwater Maya discovery at Ek Way Nal, Belize

“…The largest quantities of exotic materials and highly crafted goods were concentrated in city centres amongst the royalty. The plaque from Nim li Punit (Prager & Braswell 2016)—a site only a short distance from the Paynes Creek Salt Works—provides an example of this. While Nim li Punit would have been one of the marketplace destinations for coastal salt, the plaque was probably acquired through elite gifting.…”

“…33). An incised jadeite plaque from a royal burial at Nim li Punit, in Belize, resembles chest ornaments worn by dynastic leaders, who are depicted and described in hieroglyphs on stelae engaging in ritual scattering of copal incense (Prager & Braswell 2016: figs 1 & 8–9). Jadeite had a ceremonial function as early as the Middle Preclassic (1000–300 BC), as evidenced at Ceibal, Guatemala, where dozens of jadeite and other greenstone celts (axes) were placed in caches under public plazas (Aoyama et al .…”