| Object Name: | Monument 9: Mouth of the jaguar as a portal to the underworld |
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| Creation Date: | 700 BC - 500 BC | |
| Culture: | Olmec | |
| Site: | Chalcatzingo | |
| Material: | ||
| Repository: | ||
| Image source: | © Dr. Manuel Aguilar | |
| Monument 9 was found by looters, apparently atop the "Plaza Central" structure 4. This sculpture repeats the earth-monster motif of "El Rey" and "The Governor", here manifested with a full-faced cruciform-shaped mouth. From the clefts on the exterior of the mouth, bromeliad-like plants again grow. There is a small motif between the eyebrows, apparently stylized jaguar face with two raindrop-like elements. The large open mouth of this jaguar-monster is formed by a cruciform hollow that passes completely through the carving. The lower portion of this opening is worn and indicates not only that this sculpture was erected as a vertical panel but also that persons could have crawled through the mouth as a ritual passage through the earth-monster's mouth related to death and entrance into the underworld. | ||
