Chac Mool statue from the Chichen Itza site

A chacmool at Chichen Itza

Chac-Mool is the name given to a type of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican stone altar. Image File history File links Chac_Mool1. ... Image File history File links Chac_Mool1. ... Temple of the Warriors Chichen Itza is the largest of the Pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Yucat n, Mexico. ... Temple of the Warriors Chichen Itza is the largest of the Pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Yucat n, Mexico. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before the European discovery of the New World by Columbus. ... Look up Altar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The so called "Chac-Mool" altars depict a human figure in an awkward position of reclining with the head up and turned to one side, holding a tray over the stomach. It is believed that the tray part of the sculpture was used for offerings of incense and of human hearts from human sacrifices. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Chac-Mool altars are typically found in front of temples in Toltec and other post-Classic central Mexican sites, and in post-Classic Maya civilization sites with heavy Toltec influence, such as Chichen Itza. The Atlantes – columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula. ... The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as its spectacular art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. ... Temple of the Warriors Chichen Itza is the largest of the Pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Yucat n, Mexico. ...

The ancient name for these sculptures is unknown. The name was coined by Augustus Le Plongeon, an eccentric 19th century antiquitarian who excavated some Maya sites in Yucatán and published multiple volumes of "history" of the Maya which later scholars consider to be based on nothing other than Le Plongeon's own vivid imagination. Le Plongeon uncovered such a statue in Chichen Itza and concocted an elaborate story around it saying that it depicted an ancient king of Atlantis named "Chac-Mool", which means "Red Jaguar" in the Maya language. Although Le Plongeon's stories are discredited, the name he coined for this type of figure has stuck. Augustus Le Plongeon (1825-1908) was an archaeologist who excavated the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Yucatan. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yucatán is the name of one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Chac-Mools should not be confused with Chaac, one of the leading deities in Maya mythology associated primarily with the phenomena of rain and thunder, and with whom they are not associated. Chaac (also rendered as Chaak or Chac) is an important deity in the pantheon of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Chac-Mools can be found throughout Central Mexico and Yucatan. In addition to Tula and Chichen Itza, sites known for Chac-Mools include Mexico City, Cempoala in Michoacán and Tlaxcala, and Quirigua in Guatemala. The Yucatán Peninsula separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. ... Nickname: Location of Mexico City in central Mexico Coordinates: Country Mexico Federal entity Federal District Boroughs The 16 delegaciones Founded (as Tenochtitlan) c. ... Cempoala (or Zempoala was an important MesoAmerican city as the largest city on the Gulf of Mexico and the capital of the kingdom of Totnicapan occupied by the Totonac people. ... Michoacán de Ocampo (from Nahuatl michhuacan place of those who have fish) is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. ... This article is about the Mexican state Tlaxcala. ... Quiriguá is an ancient Maya site in the Izabal department of Guatemala. ...

Chacmool, (unhyphenated) is also the name of an annual conference held yearly by the Archaeology Department of the University of Calgary, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Each conference has a central theme, with the 2007 Chacmool Conference dealing with food and beverages, with sessions dealing with micro-botanical (ie phytoliths), and macro-botanical (seeds, etc) evidence for such things as consumption and cultivation, as well as such things as starch residue analysis. The conference is hosted by the Chacmool Archaeological Asociation, which is a student run archaeology club, and staffed by student volunteers. The conference is an excellent way to network within the archaeolgical community at large, and a great way for students to become associated within the field, as amature student papers are presented side-by-side with professional ones. The previous conference can be found here: http://arky.ucalgary.ca/Chacmool2006/index.htm

External links

• "Chacmool," by Lawrence G. Desmond, Peabody Museum, Harvard University