Necklace jade, Holmul

3D Model

Necklace jade, the antechamber of the tomb in Building D, Group I, Holmul, Guatemala. Photogrammetry-based 3D model (Agisoft Photoscan) by Alexandre Tokovinine.

The central piece of a necklace, this inscribed jewel depicts the head of the Maize God that ends in a cormorant beak. The text on the back of the head informs that the “necklace” (uuh) belonged to a “holy Kaanul lord” (k’uhul Kaanul ajaw). His name begins with Yuknoom, but the second word is a complex conflation with a -na phonetic complement. One possible reading is TI’-CHAN. Therefore, the name could identify the owner as a seventh-century Kaanul king Yunoom Ti’ Chan