Jade mask

(Calakmul Mask)

Where have we seen it?

In Campeche, a city in the Yucatan, Mexico.

Who made it?

It is a very ancient civilization called the Maya.

Who are the Mayas?

It is a very advanced people, culturally and intellectually. They lived more than 1500 years ago in Central America.

What is this mask?

This mask was to put on the face of the very important dead as a leader or a religious person.

Would you like the explanations?

The Jade:

The mask is made of jade, a sacred stone that represents water and sky, so it is life.

So you see, the ears are flowers representing the model of the Mesoamerican cosmos. According to the Maya, at the beginning of time the world was delimited by four corners, four sides and a center. This sacred space connects three levels: celestial, earthly and underworld. Under the flower there is a snake, (I know you are thinking it does not look like a snake but well, I will not explain the snake because it is very long but I will only explain a little) the snake is an animal that represents the passage between the dead and the living.

Under the mouth there is a butterfly as you can see in the picture above well the butterfly has its wings open because it symbolizes the dead man’s wing.

Conclusion:

I liked the mask because the ears were flowers the fangs were a snake the snake was to go to the underworld (where the dead go is under the earth) and return to the middle world (the earth).

Visit the museum of Mayan architecture in Campeche