Jaina of a bearded man with plume and jewelry sitted on a throne

Jaina of an older bearded man with decorated plume (Penacho) and jade or turquoise jewelry seated on a throne with a container on his back

Faces and fashions from life in the Classic Period of Maya civilization appear in fired clay. Thousands of these figurines, probably portraits, have come from graves on the island of Jaina, Campeche off the Gulf Coast of Yucatán. Many, fashioned with hollow bodies, served as ritual rattles or whistles. Blue paint has weathered less than the other colors that originally brightened the effigies.

HEIGHTS VARY BETWEEN 5 and 10 1/2 INCHES

Most of these original pieces are in some of these museums and collections

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ARCHEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY OF GUATEMALA; MUNSON-WILLIAMS-PROCTOR INSTITUTE, UTICA, NEW YORK; PRIVATE COLLECTION. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY, MEXICO CITY.