Stela (fragment)

On this small stela a man is depicted in profile, with his arm raised. He wears a headdress that features a number of attributes of the jaguar, earflares, a necklace and a wide belt around his hips. The image probably represents a ruler who personifies a divine character during an ecstatic dance. On the lower left are four cartouches with hieroglyphic configurations. Since part of the stela is here missing - a part which probably contained a further two cartouches - it is difficult to decipher the inscription. In any case, the text refers to the stela's dedication and the name of the character or god the figure embodies. Both the glyphs and the style of the portrait, in which clear Olmec influences can be traced, enable us to date the stela to the Preclassic period. Consequently, this is one of the earliest known examples of Maya art and Maya writing.