La Mojarra Stela 1
Encyclopedia
La Mojarra Stela 1 is a Mesoamerica
n carved monument (stela) dating from the 2nd century CE. It was discovered in 1986, pulled from the Acula River near La Mojarra
, Veracruz
, Mexico
, not far from the Tres Zapotes
archaeological site. The 4+1/2 ft by 6+1/2 ft, four-ton
limestone
slab contains about 535 glyphs of the Isthmian script
. One of Mesoamerica's earliest known written records, this Epi-Olmec culture
monument not only recorded this ruler's achievements, but placed them within a cosmological framework of calendars and astronomical events.
The right side of the stone features a full-length portrait of a man in an elaborate headdress and costume, although the bottom half of the carving is very badly weathered. Above the figure, 12 short columns of glyphs have been etched into the stone, matched by eight longer columns to the figure's right. Among these glyphs are two Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
dates which correspond to May 143 CE
and July 156 CE. The monument is an early example of the type of stela which later became common commemorating rulers of Maya
sites in the Classic era
.
Prof. Philip Arnold has tentatively identified the stylized sharks as the Olmec Fish/Shark Monster, a symbol of rulership.
According to Mary Ellen Miller, the figure wears the headdress of the Principal Bird Deity. Bird deities were often featured on stelae of this period, and can be seen on Izapa
Stela 4 as well on monuments at Kaminaljuyu
, Takalik Abaj
, and Zaculeu
.
The Tuxtla Statuette
, a small 6 inches (152.4 mm), also portrays a human dressed as a bird. It comes from the same culture and period as Stela 1, and both feature Isthmian script
glyphs. These two artifacts were found roughly 70 km (43.5 mi) apart and their Long Count dates are separated by only 6 years. They may even refer to the same person.
For some years after discovery, the monument was in storage in the Museo de Antropología in Xalapa
. In November 1995, as the monument was being prepared for display, a previously neglected series of glyphs was noticed on one side in eroded but still partially recognizable condition.
In 1993, and again in 1997, after discovery of the new column of glyphs, John Justeson and Terrence Kaufman
put forward a proposed decipherment of the glyphs. This decipherment names the figure depicted as "Harvester Mountain Lord", and describes his ascension to kingship, a solar eclipse, appearances of Venus
, warfare, and an attempted usurpation, human sacrifice (perhaps Harvester Mountain Lord's brother-in-law) and Harvester Mountain Lord's own bloodletting.
This decipherment has been disputed by Michael D. Coe
and Stephen D. Houston
, among others. Resolution of this debate will likely need to await further archaeological discoveries.
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
n carved monument (stela) dating from the 2nd century CE. It was discovered in 1986, pulled from the Acula River near La Mojarra
La Mojarra
La Mojarra is an archaeological site in the Mexican state of Veracruz, located not far from the Gulf Coast at a bend in the Acula River. It was continually occupied from the late Formative period until perhaps as late as 1000 CE....
, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, not far from the Tres Zapotes
Tres Zapotes
Tres Zapotes is a Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the south-central Gulf Lowlands of Mexico in the Papaloapan River plain. Tres Zapotes is sometimes referred to as the third major Olmec capital , although Tres Zapotes' Olmec phase constitutes only a portion of the site’s history, which...
archaeological site. The 4+1/2 ft by 6+1/2 ft, four-ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
slab contains about 535 glyphs of the Isthmian script
Isthmian script
The Isthmian script is a very early Mesoamerican writing system in use in the area of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec from perhaps 500 BCE to 500 CE, although there is disagreement on these dates...
. One of Mesoamerica's earliest known written records, this Epi-Olmec culture
Epi-Olmec culture
The Epi-Olmec culture was a cultural area in the central region of the present-day Mexican state of Veracruz, concentrated in the Papaloapan River basin, a culture that existed during the Late Formative period, from roughly 300 BCE to roughly 250 CE. Epi-Olmec was a successor culture to the Olmec,...
monument not only recorded this ruler's achievements, but placed them within a cosmological framework of calendars and astronomical events.
The right side of the stone features a full-length portrait of a man in an elaborate headdress and costume, although the bottom half of the carving is very badly weathered. Above the figure, 12 short columns of glyphs have been etched into the stone, matched by eight longer columns to the figure's right. Among these glyphs are two Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is a non-repeating, vigesimal and base-18 calendar used by several Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya. For this reason, it is sometimes known as the Maya Long Count calendar...
dates which correspond to May 143 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
and July 156 CE. The monument is an early example of the type of stela which later became common commemorating rulers of Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
sites in the Classic era
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
.
Description and interpretation
The figure engraved onto Stela 1 is complex and not easily interpreted. Pool describes the figure as follows:Prof. Philip Arnold has tentatively identified the stylized sharks as the Olmec Fish/Shark Monster, a symbol of rulership.
According to Mary Ellen Miller, the figure wears the headdress of the Principal Bird Deity. Bird deities were often featured on stelae of this period, and can be seen on Izapa
Izapa
Izapa is a very large pre-Columbian archaeological site located in the Mexican state of Chiapas; it was occupied during the Late Formative period. The site is situated on the Izapa River, a tributary of the Suchiate River, near the base of the Tacaná volcano), the fourth largest mountain in...
Stela 4 as well on monuments at Kaminaljuyu
Kaminaljuyu
Kaminaljuyu is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization that was primarily occupied from 1500 BC to AD 1200. Kaminaljuyu has been described as one of the greatest of all archaeological sites in the New World by Michael Coe, although its remains today - a few mounds only - are far less...
, Takalik Abaj
Takalik Abaj
Tak'alik Ab'aj is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Guatemala; it was formerly known as Abaj Takalik; its ancient name may have been Kooja. It is one of several Mesoamerican sites with both Olmec and Maya features...
, and Zaculeu
Zaculeu
Zaculeu or Saqulew is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the highlands of western Guatemala, about outside of the modern city of Huehuetenango. Occupation at the site dates back as far as the Early Classic period of Mesoamerican history...
.
The Tuxtla Statuette
Tuxtla Statuette
The Tuxtla Statuette is a small 6.3 inch rounded greenstone figurine, carved to resemble a squat, bullet-shaped human with a duck-like bill and wings. Most researchers believe the statuette represents a shaman wearing a bird mask and bird cloak...
, a small 6 inches (152.4 mm), also portrays a human dressed as a bird. It comes from the same culture and period as Stela 1, and both feature Isthmian script
Isthmian script
The Isthmian script is a very early Mesoamerican writing system in use in the area of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec from perhaps 500 BCE to 500 CE, although there is disagreement on these dates...
glyphs. These two artifacts were found roughly 70 km (43.5 mi) apart and their Long Count dates are separated by only 6 years. They may even refer to the same person.
Discovery and decipherment
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of...
. In November 1995, as the monument was being prepared for display, a previously neglected series of glyphs was noticed on one side in eroded but still partially recognizable condition.
In 1993, and again in 1997, after discovery of the new column of glyphs, John Justeson and Terrence Kaufman
Terrence Kaufman
Terrence Kaufman is an American linguist specializing in documentation of unwritten languages, Mesoamerican historical linguistics and language contact phenomena. He is currently a professor at the department of anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh....
put forward a proposed decipherment of the glyphs. This decipherment names the figure depicted as "Harvester Mountain Lord", and describes his ascension to kingship, a solar eclipse, appearances of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, warfare, and an attempted usurpation, human sacrifice (perhaps Harvester Mountain Lord's brother-in-law) and Harvester Mountain Lord's own bloodletting.
This decipherment has been disputed by Michael D. Coe
Michael D. Coe
Michael D. Coe is an American archaeologist, anthropologist, epigrapher and author. Primarily known for his research in the field of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican studies , Coe has also made extensive investigations across a variety...
and Stephen D. Houston
Stephen D. Houston
Stephen Douglas Houston is an American anthropologist, archaeologist, epigrapher and Mayanist scholar, who is particularly renowned for his research into the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica...
, among others. Resolution of this debate will likely need to await further archaeological discoveries.
See also
- Detail showing one of the two Long Count dates.
