Atlante

A standing sculpture whose distinctive characteristic is that the arms are high without the indication of hands; together with the head, facing front, there is a flat surface, suitable to hold a platform (table, altar or bench). The body forms one solid block with the feet on a straight base. The fifteen atlantes or anthropomorphic stands that hold the bench in the Temple of the Jaguars in Chichén Itzá are equivalent in the formal aspects; however, each of them has unique features in the attire and accessories. This atlante stands out for having the profile of a dog as a breastplate; it is an emblem that appears also as a name glyph of a priest represented in the south Temple of the Ball Game; in this case, it is possible that the breastplate identifies him as a deified warrior. The atlantes, together with the standard-bearers and the semi-leaned characters sculptures, called Chac Mool, are part of a collection of elements shared with the High Plateau, specifically with Tula, and also present in Yucatan during the early postclassic period. The atlantes have been considered in particular as b’acab’o’ob’, whose mission was to keep separated the skies from the earth.Dra. Federica Sodi MirandaColaboradores: Arqlgo. Hugo Herrera Torres Araceli Ruiz Peláez Mtro. Hugo García Capistran.