El Baúl
El Baul is an archaeological site in south-western Guatemala. Along with other sites in the area (Bilbao, El Castillo and several smaller sites) it Cotzumalhuapa the culture is attributed.
Location
History
How Bilbao, as is also the archaeological site of El Baul in time to the Late Classic (ca. 600-1000 AD) classified. The centers of the two sites were connected by paved roads. A wooden bridge in parts still existing stone foundations crossed the river Santiago; she was part of the connection between El Baul and El Castillo.
Some steles the archaeological site of Bilbao were discovered and described the mid-19th century. Tracings of the Austrian traveler Dr. Habel from 1862 came some monuments the former director of the Berlin Ethnological Museum, Adolf Bastian ( 1826-1905 ) note, which it acquired on a trip in 1876 for the museum. In 1881, they were shipped to Stettin, from where they were transported to Berlin, where they are now on display in the Museum of Ethnology.
Monuments
In the 1990s, the then in a large metal cage Finca scantily preserved artifacts were housed in a small, walled open-air museum. The remaining at the site columns and smaller stone sculptures probably belong to the period 600 to 1000 AD; they are - except for one - all undated. In the range of topics that the formal design of the representations and by the lack of inscriptions dating and they differ from the Mayan stelae same time.
- The so-called Stele 1 carries a partially abgeplatztes date in the Long Count of the Maya. Some Archaeologists date this - despite the damage - to the 2nd or March 6, 37 AD, and keep it thus for one of the oldest known data in this counting. The stele showing a priest-king with richly ornamented headdress and a flame -like curved Zeremonialmesser in the right hand. Above his head unfolds a rich clouds decor, in which also glyphenartige entity to recognize.
- The stele No. 5 is - a rarity among Mesoamerican stelae - framed and probably shows two ball players - a standing bare-chested, his face covered by a Kojotemaske, his hands resting on his hips and his opponent anspuckend (?); the other lying on his back. In the padded mitten of gloves hands both figures hold balls. The hip of the standing figure is surrounded by a U-shaped Jochstein ( yugo ), which is tied on the left side of the ball player with ribbons. The glyphs in the left part of the stele are decorated rounded, so remember also to balls; also extends a small gods figure from a cloud serpent a type of trophy down, with those of the neck and the chest seems to be already decorated the standing figure. Below the main scene is a row of six smaller figures sitting cross-legged in front of the chest and arms crossed.
- Worked expressive and technically and artistically perfect is the sculpture of a seated jaguar or puma, whose claws front paws are raised. The mouth and the eyes of the monster are wide open.
- Other stelae present rulers figures or ruler heads and strange hybrid creatures and skulls. A stele shows a highly abstracted geometric head with lateral ' rosettes '; both the head shape and the ' rosettes ' could refer to the Mexican rain god Tlaloc.
- Some monuments, including one by the Indians still revered expressive Monumental head of an old man (or God ) with a wrinkled face and hooked nose, still located in the middle of sugar cane fields.
Pictures
Ruler cross-legged with arms crossed over her chest
Ruler with a rich headdress
Ruler mask, two female (?) Accompanying figures and Flechtbandschmuck
Skull Stone
Geometric mask with big eyes, open mouth with two rows of teeth and tongue hanging out ( Tlaloc (?) )