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Plaque

200–700 CE (initial fabrication)

Not on view

Originally used as an adornment in the Maya region—the incised profile of a Maya ruler is still faintly visible—this plaque was apparently traded to Costa Rica, where it seems to have been reworked into a double-headed serpent pendant. It was eventually carried back to the site of Cerro de las Mesas, in Veracruz, Mexico, where it was deposited in an offering along with hundreds of other carved jade objects in diverse styles.

Originalmente utilizada como ornamento en la región maya (la incisión del perfil de un soberano maya sigue estando parcialmente visible) esta placa fue, al parecer, llevada a Costa Rica, modificada y transformada en un colgante en forma de serpiente bicéfala. Finalmente, la placa fue llevada nuevamente hacia el Norte, al sitio de Cerro de las Mesas, en Veracruz, México, donde fue depositada en una ofrenda junto con cientos de otros objetos de jade con incisiones de diversos estilos.

Plaque, Jadeite, Maya — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Plaque, Jadeite, Maya

Plaque, Jadeite, Maya

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Drawing showing traces of the original Maya face in profile and the recarving of zoomorphic heads. Drawing by Valerie Woelfel.

Title: Plaque

Date: 200–700 CE (initial fabrication)

Geography: Mexico or Guatemala; Mexico, Veracruz

Culture: Maya

Medium: Jadeite

Dimensions: H. 3 × W. 4 × D. 5/16 in. (7.6 × 10.2 × 0.8 cm)

Classification: Stone-Ornaments

Credit Line: Museo Nacional de Antropología, Secretaría de Cultura-INAH, Mexico City (10-173)

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.