Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital slr-2009.

Conch-Shell Trumpet

Artist Unknown

Date300-550

MediumHematite (mineral) incised on conch shell

Dimensions9 × 4 3/4 × 3 3/4 in. (22.9 × 12.1 × 9.5 cm)

ClassificationsLatin American

Credit LineGift of Edwin Pearlman and Museum purchase

Object number86.457

Terms

Deities
Peten

Collections

Ancient American Art

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis Early Classic period conch-shell trumpet has four drilled holes so that a scale can be played. When the spire is at the bottom, the piece forms the head and headdress of a god.

Label TextConch-Shell Trumpet Maya (Tikal Area, Petén, Guatemala), Early Classic Period, 300–550 C.E. Hematite (mineral) incised on conch shell Gift of Edwin Pearlman and Museum purchase 86.457 One of the most spectacular objects made by the Maya, this decorated shell was played like a trumpet in ceremonies. With its mouthpiece down, the conch’s spiraling form depicts the crowned head of Uc Zip, God of the Trumpet. (One of Uc Zip’s eyes is incised on the shell; the other is a drilled hole.) When played, the horn personified the actual god, the sound of his own voice communicating with other gods and ancestors. With its mouthpiece up (see illustrations), the conch reveals two other figures: the Moon Goddess and Juun Ajaw, a mythic hero who defeated the underworld gods. The accompanying hieroglyphs identify those figures and describe the trumpet’s owner as a k’ayoom, or singer.