ARCH 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Werejaguar, Jadeite, Woodworking
4 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Another tomb yielded a sandstone sarcophagus, but no body. The sarcophagus is carved to represent a were-jaguar (half human-half jaguar) motif. Found in association were a standing human figurine carved of serpentine, a jadeite bloodletter, two large jadeite ear spools, and jaguar canine tooth pendants. The sarcophagus has disappeared since its discovery. It is unclear whether there were ever human remains within, or whether these have disintegrated over time. Along with the burial tombs, complex a produced at least a dozen carvings. Remarkably, some of these depict females, which are unusual in mesoamerican art, and very rare among the olmec. Another carving, known as la abuelita (the little grandmother), probably depicts a dwarf. Complex a produced numerous caches and offerings, classified as massive offerings, Pavements (or mosaic masks), and small dedicatory offerings. Five massive offerings have been identified in complex a. These consist of purposefully excavated pits that were filled with tons of serpentine blocks encased in special clay matrices.
