1973.35 Hacha: Man's Head with Scarification on Cheeks (Maya, Veracruz or Chiapas, Mexico)

Hachas protruded from a padded waist belt and were part of the ballgame gear for deflecting the heavy rubber ball. This stone hacha was probably a ceremonial replica of a wooden original. It was made in south-central Veracruz but was reportedly found in the vicinity of Toniná, a Maya royal capital in the mountains of Chiapas in southern Mexico. From the Early Classic period (200–600 CE) onward, the lowland Maya borrowed regalia and conventions of ball playing from the Gulf Coast peoples. The Classic period kings of Toniná created their replica of Creation Mountain. They put their ball court at the base of the mountain, as the clefted abyss was at the base of the first true Creation Mountain. There, these kings played ritual ballgames with their sacrificial victims, often highborn lords taken in battle.

Carol Robbins, Label text, A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

Maya: AAT: 300017826

Highland Maya: AAT: 300017120

Gulf Coast Mesoamerican styles: AAT: 300108063

Classic Veracruz styles: AAT: 300017056

Late Classic Veracruz: AAT: 300266231

Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560

Chiapas (state): TGN: 7005580

Veracruz (state): TGN: 7005599

Toniná (deserted settlement): TGN: 7032727

greenstone (rock): AAT: 300386691

carving: AAT: 300053149

incising: AAT: 300053847

polishing (finishing): AAT: 300053867

drillwork (sculpture technique): AAT: 300186211

relief (sculpture techniques): AAT: 300053622

Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983

Late Classic Period: AAT: 300016986

sculpture: AAT: 300047090

effigies (funerary sculpture): AAT: 300047108

ceremonial objects: AAT: 300234117

protective wear (costume): AAT: 300209266

worn costume accessories: AAT: 300209274

hachas (visual work): AAT: 300264867

belts (bandas / cinturones / costume accessories): AAT: 300210002

rubber (material): AAT: 300012941

ball game equipment: AAT: 300211062

ball games (games / activities): AAT: 300239662

ball courts (Mesoamerican): AAT: 300007324

replicas (reproduction): AAT: 300015642

creation (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300069002

mountains: AAT: 300008795

Creation Mountain (Mesoamerican doctrinal / religious concept): DMA

myth: AAT: 300201023

king: AAT: 300025481

rulers (people): AAT: 300025475

sacrifices: AAT: 300263243

blood: AAT: 300011797

bloodletting (self-sacrifice / ritual): DMA

captive (prisoners of war): AAT: 300259895

nobility (nobles / aristocracy): AAT: 300025942

battles: AAT: 300185692

wars: AAT: 300055314

head: AAT: 300262520

faces (animal or human components): AAT: 300251798

profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319

male: AAT: 300189559

beautification: AAT: 300111985

body modification: AAT: 300262468

deformation: AAT: 300072976

scarifications (visual works): AAT: 300262452

tattoos: AAT: 300015614

geometric motifs: AAT: 300009764

knots (motifs): AAT: 300009724

scrolls (spirals/motifs): AAT: 300010094

n.d: Dr. and Sra. Josué Sáenz, Mexico, D.F. [1], [2]

Until 1973: Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc. [1], [2], [3]

From 1973: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott, the McDermott Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, purchased from the above [1], [2], [3], [4]

[1] The main source for this provenance is existing information in TMS. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[2] The main source for this provenance is Collections Worksheet (n.d., copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[3] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Worksheet (dated March 13, 1973, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[4] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

Khan Academy~Watch a video about the Mesoamerican Ballgame and a Classic Veracruz yoke, with Dr. Rex Koontz and Dr. Steven Zucker.

Apply to objects where number equals 1973.35