Chojolom

Boulder sculpture at Chojolom, believed to represent the head of a deity.¹

Artificial cave where one of the stone heads was found

Chojolom is a small Maya archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. The site features a number of sculpted stones that are presumed to belong to the Kʼicheʼ Maya culture of the Postclassic Period (approximately AD 900–1520).² Chojolom is situated on a hill in the municipality of Cantel, in the department of Quetzaltenango.³ The municipality is inhabited by Kʼicheʼ Maya to this day, who make up 93.8% of the local population.⁴ Cantel is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the modern city of Quetzaltenango at Kilometer 217 on the CA2 Highway.⁵ Chojolom is believed to have been a ritual site.⁶

Chojolom means "by the head" in the Kʼicheʼ Maya language, deriving from the root word jolom ("head").⁷ Local historian Mariano Cornejo has speculated that the depositing of the stone heads and the naming of the hill may be linked.⁸

As of September 2010 three sculpted stone heads have been found at the site; one of an armadillo, one human and one representing a deity.⁹ The heads were discovered when mud was cleared away after a period of heavy rain in 2010.¹⁰ One of the stone heads was found in a cave at the site.¹¹ Ceramics and bones have also been found, which may represent a ritual offering.¹² In addition to the stone heads, a clay head has also been found.¹³ A minor landslide in October 2010 revealed a stone altar under a tree root.¹⁴

The Armadillo Head measures approximately 15 by 20 centimetres (5.9 by 7.9 in).¹⁵ The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is native to the Cantel region.¹⁶ The Armadillo Head was the first of the three stone heads to have been found by local farmer Sebastián Sam.¹⁷

The Human Head measures 50 by 50 centimetres (20 by 20 in).¹⁸ It was the second stone head to be discovered at Chojolom.¹⁹

The Deity Head is the largest sculpture, measuring 1.1 by 1.4 metres (3.6 by 4.6 ft).²⁰ It was the third stone head to be found at the site.²¹

The Altar measures 25 by 50 centimetres (9.8 by 19.7 in) and bears designs that include circles, hills, human figures and a deer.²² The combination of six human figures with the deer has been interpreted as a Maya calendrical date by Guatemalan anthropologist Lina Barrios.²³

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  The Human Head sculpture
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  The Armadillo Head sculpture