Athena Review Image Archive ™
Tulúm: Temple of the Diving God
Temple of the Diving God at Tulúm (photo: Athena Review).
The
small Temple of the Diving God at Tulúm is named for a stucco relief of
this singular deity in a niche above its western doorway. Diving or
Descending God figures, present on several buildings at Tulúm, also
appear at Cobá and Sayil. They may represent the Maya bee god Ah
Muzencab, known from the Madrid Codex.
Their prominence at Tulúm and Cobá suggests the economic importance of
honey in the province of Ecab (Henderson 1981). Other researchers
identify the Diving God as Xux Ek, the Maya “Wasp Star” equivalent to
Venus (A. Miller 1974).
Exterior walls of the temple were
painted in a mixture of Mayan and Mixteca-Puebla styles, with images of
snakes surrounding sun, rain, and maize. The interior back wall is also
covered with mural paintings, including a large feathered rattlesnake
head and a richly adorned figure with seashells, possibly
Chalchihuitlicue ("Jade Water"), the goddess of the sea and consort
of the Mexican rain god Tlaloc.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Rust Family Foundation (All Rights Reserved).