Jaina Figurines

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Serpent-belted Noble

The small island of Jaina lies off the coast of Campeche State, Mexico, and into the southeast corner of the gulf. The necropolis upon the island was a massive burial site from the Classic period, accompanied with a wealth of miniature terracotta figurines. These scores of small sculptures are individually unique, and they reveal the tremendous diversity of stylistic variations that could identify individual personages and supernatural beings. Most of the figurines represent rulers and nobility, in lavishly ornate attire. This figure bears a two-headed serpent behind the waist.

National Museum of Anthropology and History


Nobleman

One of the most regal and well-known of the Jaina figurines. The nobleman sits upon a short throne, and he bears a fan headdress with a crocodile jaw above his head. Many of the figures are around half a foot tall (15 cm), and so the delicacy of their minute decorations deserves appreciation. The Jaina pieces are polychrome, and many of them use a precious substance called Maya Blue, which comes from indigo plant pigments and a clay called palygorskite.

National Museum of Anthropology and History


Figurine with a Big Hat

This tall, slender man wears a long blue robe, but the outstanding part of his attire is the tall and wide-brimmed hat. Even though they come from a burial context, many of the Jaina figurines appear to be lively and animated, the nobility in their demeanor when they were alive. They also depict types of clothes that may have altogether disintegrated over the centuries.

National Museum of Anthropology and History


Seated and Portly Figurines

The figure at left is seated in a repose-like quality, without a throne like the nobleman above. His clothing shows traces of the Maya Blue pigment. At right is a chubby figurine with an exaggerated brow and an attire like fur.

National Museum of Anthropology and History


Female Figurines

This is a great image because it features three exquisitely dressed noblewomen, their jewelry compared to real Maya jewelry made of shell and precious stone. I am especially struck by the greenstone earrings, inlaid with jade hook designs, toward the bottom right corner. The designs on each woman's robe is distinct; among the contemporary Maya, such distinguishing sartorial designs help identify men's or women's homelands.

National Museum of Anthropology and History