An image of the aged creator deity Itzam, bearing his typical netted headscarf, is incised onto the body of this conch shell. He gestures toward an inscription that reads 13 Ajaw, a day in the 260-day ritual calendar. The deity, also referred to as “God N,” plays a principal role in the creation of space-time in the Maya worldview. He inhabits the primordial sea, hence his association with marine shells. In quadripartite form, he forms the stony pillars that sustain the sky and stewards the cycle of years. Without his efforts, the sky and sea would collapse and swallow the earth, returning the cosmos to the timeless, chaotic pool of his origins. While he is often depicted emerging from shells or wearing them on his back, here Itzam appears on the shell itself, creating a playful link between image and material. A large perforation drilled into the body of the conch indicates its use as a horn.
Alyce de Carteret
2025
Further Reading
Martin, Simon. “The Old Man of the Maya Universe: A Unitary Dimension to Ancient Maya Religion.” In Maya Archaeology 3, ed. Charles Golden, Stephen Houston, and Joel Skidmore, 186–227. Precolumbia Mesoweb Press, 2015.