Mayan Bat Sculpture

3D Model

Pre-Columbian Maya bat god sculpture curated in the Museo Popol Vuh in Guatemala City- Catalogue no. 2005-0032. This sculpture dates to the Late Preclassic and could likely originates from the Copan area of Honduras, bordering Guatemala. The monument is tenoned and could have been used as ornamentation on a structure. The glyphic text on the head and back of the piece relate to the monument’s dedication and ownership. Bats were an important motif depicted in Maya art and glyphic text, and depending on the context, possibly represented a harbinger of death, sacrifice, or the underworld, and often shown representing a particular cultural group.

Part of a 3D digitization initiative with the Popol Vuh Museum in Guatemala City, and in collaboration with Camilo Luin, Curator, the Digital Heritage and Humanities Center at the University of South Florida Libraries,has partnered to document important sculpture and artifacts. The piece was digitized using blue light laser scanning and imaging.