Skip to content

Free shipping in Mexico on orders over $5,000 MXN

D'Argenta

Mayan Art

Art of the Mayan Empire

Kings of Palenque, a feathered serpent, the god of corn and the Maya calendar: Mayan art finished by hand in silver in our Mexico City workshop, much of it set into dark stone so that every figure and glyph catches the light.

Pieces from $3,220 to $23,800 MXN

Pakal, the king of Palenque

K'inich Janaab' Pakal, known as Pakal the Great, ruled Palenque, in Chiapas, in the 7th century. His tomb inside the Temple of the Inscriptions was found in 1952, together with its carved sarcophagus lid, and a stucco portrait head discovered there is now in the National Museum of Anthropology.

K'inich Janaab Pakal - Silver Mayan Head Statue and its larger companion render the king in bright silver, some with the tall, swept-back headdress, raised on tapered pedestals of dark stone. On a desk or in a bookcase the face seems lit from within against the stone below. The Sarcophagus Lid of the Maya ruler of Pakal the Great completes the story with the carved lid of his tomb, and a silver relief shows Pakal seated as king.

Silver against dark stone

Most of these pieces are silver panels set into rough, dark stone slabs with broken natural edges, so that figures and glyph blocks stand out against black. The Mayan King Accepting Offering Silver Relief shows a seated ruler in profile under a feathered headdress, while other reliefs turn to myth and work: a bird-man, a commoner bent to his task. Kukulkan, The Feathered Serpent Relief lifts the serpent's body up a vertical panel.

Kukulkan is the feathered serpent of the Yucatec Maya, related to Quetzalcoatl; at Chichén Itzá, the equinox light draws a serpent down the stairway of El Castillo. The Small Silver Chac Mool Statue reclines on a dark base, knees raised. Yum Caax, Mayan God of Corn, is the exception to the stone: a cut-out silver figure that stands on its own.

Glyphs, calendars and the ballgame

Maya writing combined word signs and syllables, carved in glyph blocks, and three round pieces carry it. The Haab Mayan Calendar Sculpture in Silver rings its centre with glyph cartouches; the Haab was the Maya 365-day calendar of 18 months of 20 days, plus five days. A circular glyph stone leaves its centre open, and the Maya Ballcourt marker from Chinkultic Replica recalls the carved markers of Maya ballcourts, from a site in Chiapas.

A Mayan calendar replica says a great deal in a small space, which makes these discs some of the most meaningful Mayan gifts in the collection. Beyond these Mayan statues, our Aztec art, Prehispanic Mexican art and Aztec calendar pages continue the story with the Mexica and the Toltecs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Chac Mool?

A reclining figure with its head turned to one side and a vessel or plate resting on its belly, known from Chichén Itzá and from Tula. Our small silver chac mool statue keeps that pose on a dark base, knees raised, at a scale made for a desk or a shelf.

Which piece suits a desk, and which a wall or a niche?

The Pakal heads on their tapered pedestals and the reclining Chac Mool are made for a desk or a shelf. The reliefs set in stone and the round calendar discs read well in a niche or on a stand at eye level, where the light can cross the silver.

How is a silver relief set in stone looked after?

The silver is protected by a resistant lacquer, so a soft, dry cloth is all it needs; metal polish and cleaning agents are best avoided. Every piece carries our lifetime guarantee covering manufacturing defects, and we ship throughout Mexico from Mexico City.