chacmool

English

Maya chacmool from Chichén Itzá.

Etymology

Borrowed from Yucatec Maya chak moʼol (“jaguar”, literally “red paw”). The name was first given by Augustus Le Plongeon to a statue of this type discovered at Chichén Itzá in 1875.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɑkˌmoʊl/

Noun

chacmool (plural chacmools or chacmooles)

1. (archaeology) A stylized, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican stone sculpture depicting a reclining male figure with the head raised and turned to one side, holding a small tray over the stomach.

Alternative forms

• chac mool, chac-mool
• chacmol (rare)