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).Rodas 2010-09-18. Chojolom is situated on a hill in the municipality of Cantel, in the department of Quetzaltenango.Rodas 2010-09-18. Rodríguez Rouanet et al 1992, p.2. The municipality is inhabited by Kʼicheʼ Maya to this day, who make up 93.8% of the local population.Anonymous 2010-09-18. Servicio de Información Municipal. Cantel is located from the modern city of Quetzaltenango at Kilometer 217 on the CA2 Highway.Inforpressca, p.6. Chojolom is believed to have been a ritual site.Rodas 2010-09-18.
Chojolom means "by the head" in the Kʼicheʼ Maya language, deriving from the root word jolom ("head").Rodas 2010-09-18. Christenson, p.46. Local historian Mariano Cornejo has speculated that the depositing of the stone heads and the naming of the hill may be linked.Rodas 2010-09-18.
Sculptures
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.Rodas 2010-09-18. The heads were discovered when mud was cleared away after a period of heavy rain in 2010.Rodas 2010-09-18. One of the stone heads was found in a cave at the site.Rodas 2010-09-18. Ceramics and bones have also been found, which may represent a ritual offering.Rodas 2010-09-18. In addition to the stone heads, a clay head has also been found.Rodas 2010-09-18. A minor landslide in October 2010 revealed a stone altar under a tree root.Rodas 2010-10-05.
The Armadillo Head measures approximately .Rodas 2010-09-18. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is native to the Cantel region.Rodas 2010-09-18. Corporación Municipal 2001, p.14. The Armadillo Head was the first of the three stone heads to have been found by local farmer Sebastián Sam.Anonymous 2010-09-18.
The Human Head measures .Rodas 2010-09-18. It was the second stone head to be discovered at Chojolom.Rodas 2010-09-18.
The Deity Head is the largest sculpture, measuring .Rodas 2010-09-18. It was the third stone head to be found at the site.Rodas 2010-09-18.
The Altar measures and bears designs that include circles, hills, human figures and a deer.Rodas 2010-10-05. The combination of six human figures with the deer has been interpreted as a Maya calendrical date by Guatemalan anthropologist Lina Barrios.Rodas 2010-10-05.
Gallery
See also Cerro Quiac
Notes
References
Further reading