The carved jade head of Kinich Ahau, the Sun God was discovered in 1968 in a tomb under a giant central stair block leading to the main altar of Structure B4. At 15 cm high and weighing almost 10 pounds, the Jade Head is the largest jade piece to be discovered in the Mayan world.
Ever since its discovery, the jade head has been the subject of much controversy among Belizeans. For years most of us have believed that, shortly after its discovery, this unique Maya masterpiece was spirited out of the country and never returned to its rightful home. But this is completely inaccurate.
The jade head was discovered at in the Belize District's Mayan site of Altun Ha in 1968 by Dr. David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum of Canada. The head, along with forty other objects, had been placed within a large tomb that was located below the stairblock on the Temple of the Masonry Altars (Structure B4).
At the center of the tomb were the remains of an elderly adult male. This elite person was likely an important ruler of the site during his lifetime and may have commissioned an artist to produce the large carved object. We do not know the exact date that the head was carved, but analysis of cultural remains within the tomb suggests that the burial, and accompanying grave goods, were deposited in the structure sometime between 600 and 650 A.D.
Weighing 9.75 pounds and standing almost 6 inches high, the jade head remains the single largest carved jade object yet discovered in the Maya area. Its crossed eyes, fang-like elements on either side of the mouth, and the ahau glyph on the forehead all identify the head as a representation of the Maya sun god Kinich Ahau. Along with Chac (rain god) and Yum Kax (corn god), Kinich Ahau was among the most important deities in the Maya pantheon.
The Altun Ha jade head is truly a remarkable object and exquisite work of art. It is the only one of its kind in all of Mesoamerica. Because it was carved with nothing more than stone tools, we know that it may have taken many months, if not years, to produce. It was also carved from one large solid piece of jade that was imported from the Motagua River Valley region of Guatemala. Jade was also the most precious of stones to the Maya. Beside its exotic origins, its green color reflected that of water and the corn plant, the two most precious, life sustaining substances to the ancient Maya of northern Belize.
As it undoubtedly was to the prehistoric inhabitants of Altun Ha, the jade head continues to be a most important icon to the people of Belize today. It was the most spectacular discovery at Altun Ha. The giant jade object was found on top of the right wrist of the person interred in the oldest of a series of seven royal tombs discovered in Structure B4, the Temple of the Masonry Altars. The crypt also contained numerous other smaller jade objects, several pieces of pottery, numerous jaguar and cougar skins and clothes and other perishables. In a cerimonial style typical of Altun Ha, the entire burial site and the corpse was impregnated with red pigment. The Jade Head of Kinich Ahau was famous almost from the moment of its discovery.
It is prominently displayed on all Belize currency as well as stamps and has become an important symbol of our young nation. It is truly a remarkable work of art and everyone should make every effort to view it whenever it goes on display.
THE JADE HEAD → THE JADE HEAD IS LOCATED ON THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER OF THE CURRENCY
Altun Ha functioned as a central trading link between the Caribbean coast and Maya centers in the interior during the Maya Classic Period. Two main plazas with some thirteen temples and residential structures have been excavated here. A unique feature of this site is the absence of carved stelae, while its most notable artifact is a large jade carving of the Maya sun god “Kinich Ahau.”
Altun Ha is the name given ruins of an ancient Maya city in Belize, located in the Belize District about 30 miles (50 km) north of Belize City and about 6 miles (10 km) west of the shore of the Caribbean Sea. "Altun Ha" is a modern name in the Maya language, coined by translating the name of the nearby village of Rockstone Pond. The ancient name is at present unknown.
