Zoomorphic, bifacial basalt “hacha”. It depicts the head of what appears to be a reptile, in profile.

It has a round, smooth head with grooves and raised features that define a jaw with downward-pointing, undulating lips, a barely perceptible blunt nose, and a thick eyebrow above the eye socket.

* “Hachas“, usually carved from basalt, were used in rituals associated with the ball game. Although their function is uncertain, it has been suggested that they may have been portable markers in this sacred game. Their distribution was widespread along the Pacific Coast and the central volcanic chain of Guatemala during the Late Classic period (600-900).

Height: 21 cm
Width: 18 cm

“Hachas” are thin stone objects, usually sculpted on both sides, that represent animal heads (like felines, primates, birds and reptiles), heads of warriors and nobles, as well as skulls or abstract figures. These beautiful objects are associated to the ball game. Apparently they could have been used as portable markers in the ballcourt or as an accessory of the player’s equipment, as portrayed by two ball players in a panel from Tonina, indicating that “hachas” were tied to a wide belt to hang from the waist.

They were widely distributed in several sites of Veracruz (Mexico), where the “hachas” were thicker and were used attached to the yokes used by the players. During the Late Classic period, “hachas” with thinner and narrower edges were distributed south of the Maya region, especially into the Pacific piedmont and the central volcanic chain of Guatemala. Some examples have residues of cinnabar or vermilion powder, a class of mineral sulphides, red-colored and highly poisonous, composed of 85% mercury and 15% sulfur

For references of these artifacts, refer to:

Popol Vuh Museum Collection, Guatemala City: https://popolvuh.ufm.edu/coleccion/arte-prehispanico/

Miller, Mary and Simon Martin. 2004. “COURTLY ART OF THE ANCIENT MAYA”. Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, pp. 304

Whittington, Michael (editor). 2001. “THE SPORT OF LIFE AND DEATH: THE MESOAMERICAN BALLGAME”. The Mint Museum of Art en asociación con Thames & Hudson. North Carolina; pp. 288

Object displayed in the lobby of the Hyatt Centric Guatemala Hotel from August 2017 to October 7, 2020

Object displayed in the lobby of the Hyatt Centric Guatemala Hotel from April 1, 2025