Athena Review Image Archive ™
Chichén Itzá: Chacmool on the Temple of the Warriors
Statue of a Chacmool on the Temple of the Warriors (photo: Athena Review).
When
the Toltecs came to Yucatán from the Valley of Mexico in about AD
950-1000, they made Chichén Itzá their capital, building the Temple of
the Warriors modelled on the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Tula.
At
the top of the steps in front of the Temple of the Warriors is a
reclining statue of a type named “Chacmool” by the 19th century French
archaeologist Auguste Le Plongeon. This term has remained in general
use in spite of its equivocal meaning. The figures, with basins on
their laps for offerings, appear to represent captive nobles rather
than being related to the Maya rain god Chac (or the color red, another
meaning of "chac"). Over a dozen reclining Chacmool sculptures are
known at Chichén Itzá, and similar figures occur at Tula. The
rectangular columns behind the Chacmool show relief carvings of Toltec
warriors.
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